Gameplay


Freedom of action and movement

The key game motif is great freedom of choice how to play. You are entrusted an entire world, a huge territory populated by various creatures, impacted by unknown and bizarre laws, bearing as death, so as glory or richness. On top of that, you are given a minimal set of equipment and the story intrigue.

From that moment on it is your independent explorations and fight. The gameplay will be reactive to the way you construct it: prefer noiseless stealth operations with multi-hour ambushing? Instant assaults? Perhaps you like to explore and trade? Or maybe deep in the heart you are a warrior?

Freedom of actions is the basis for the game you can't play twice in the same way.


A living, breathing world

So you got used to the fact the game world is static? Forget it! You are no longer a release for triggers and script scenes.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R., while moving along the road you never know what awaits you behind the corner. There may be a camp of friendly stalkers, or monster den, an insane sniper or bloodsucker, a wounded stalker or lurking murderer.

The world lives its own life, it has a lot of events happening independently of your actions. You are to choose whether to calmly observe the happenings or become their active participant.


A-life

What makes the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world alive? It is the system of life simulation (otherwise known as A-Life), a groundbreaking AI system of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. which is responsible for controlling all of the game characters and events in the Zone.

Over 1000 stalkers go accomplishing their tasks, exploring the Zone, combating, taking rest, eating – they truly live in the Zone. Monsters get in packs to attack stalker camps and fight with each other. On the global level the AI controls even the wars of factions.

Creating background events? Generating an unlimited number of secondary tasks and random quests? The A-Life takes care of it all. Owing to the efficiency of our innovative A-Life system your playthrough of the game will not only be every time new, but also completely different from other players.


Day & night cycles in real time

As you learn to live and survive in the Zone, the time flows concomitantly. Day gets changed by night and the bright sunny weather is ousted by stormy skies.

As never before, the time of the day in the game impacts your gameplay – while you and all other stalkers get to see worse at night, most of the weapons can see perfectly well during the night; beware of monsters preferring to sit underground at day, but crawl outside at night; venturing night sallies into the Zone, do your best to find rare artefacts visible in the dark only – don’t lose your chance to get maximum out of the game.
Thus, exposing yourself to the greater risk of travelling at night, you can get bigger rewards as well. It is for you to decide though.


Equipment & weapons

Travels into the Zone go hand in hand with great danger. This is why we couldn’t send you into this survival school without the proper equipment.

We have prepared a whole set of protective suits, detectors, stalker-friendly foodstuffs, medkits, bandages, means of radiation protection and other survival stuff.
Among all, you can acquire a selection of weapons in the Zone, ranging from knife, pistols, rifles up to a weighty grenade launcher.

Ammunition? No problem, and that of different types. We adjusted the pieces for you, so be sure, they behave very true-to-life in the game: weapons fire with realistic force and along the correct trajectory, they wear out and misfire now and then.
If willing, get your gun improved with upgrades: silencer, barrel-attached grenade launcher, sniper scope – ask at the dealer’s closest to you.

Well, it looks like you’re briefed now and are ready to feel the Zone on your own back. Go ahead…and you’d better return live!

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