What you need to know
- STALKER 2 launched on November 20, 2024, in a bit of a rough state.
- The immersive first-person open-world shooter is one of the most spectacular games of 2024, but its complexity has led to a lack of polish in some corners.
- However, developers GSC Game World are hard at work to update the game, with the first patch dropping next week.
As an old-time gaming enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of the industry since its infancy, I must say that STALKER 2 is a fascinating addition to my ever-growing library of games. Having navigated through countless titles with varying degrees of success and failure, it’s intriguing to observe this game in its current state – rough edges and all.
For several days now, explorers have been delving into the chilling mysteries hidden within the Zone in STALKER 2, uncovering various terrifying sights along the way.
In an alternate reality, I find myself immersed in STALKER 2’s world, a place where the Chornobyl nuclear disaster of the ’80s triggered even more devastation, tainting the entire region with anomalies that defy physics. This dangerous expanse is teeming with radioactive creatures, grotesque mutations, and gravity-defying warps, making the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone one of the deadliest spots on Earth. Yet, the allure of potential profit from the fallout has not deterred adventurers and opportunists. The discovery of new energy sources and artifacts has sparked a clandestine market, drawing mercenaries and ruffians to furtively infiltrate this military-enclosed region, seeking their fortune. Alas, many meet an untimely end within the unrelentingly harsh environment of The Zone.
As a devoted fan, I can attest that the STALKER series has consistently captivated my imagination, amassing millions of lifetime sales among its dedicated fanbase. The upcoming STALKER 2 has already surpassed 1 million in boxed copy sales, and even more players are diving into this enigmatic world through Xbox and PC Game Pass, as the company announced.
Although there’s much to be excited about, STALKER 2 currently has several flaws that detract from its potential, including glitches and inconsistencies in gameplay balance. Unfortunately, these issues have kept it from receiving a higher Metacritic rating. However, reassuringly, the necessary fixes are already being worked on.
On their blog post via Steam, GSC Game World announced that they’ll release the initial STALKER 2 update next week. This first update aims to rectify various issues, including the bothersome deadzone problem that has been causing trouble for players using the Xbox version of the game.
The full patch notes are as follows:
“The video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to receive its initial update within the next week, available on both PC and Xbox platforms. Since its release, we’ve been attentively listening to your feedback in various forms. A big thank you to the over one million stalkers who have ventured into the Zone – it truly means a lot to us. We understand that there are matters to attend to within the Zone, but rest assured, we’re busy as well.
Previously, the game used to abruptly close due to problems with memory management and related issues, especially during rendering, skeletal mesh handling, and quest-specific cutscenes.
Main Quest Progression Fixes, including:
Multiple problems are hindering advancement in the main story, including NPCs becoming trapped within objects, misplaced quest symbols, and complications with scene transitions during quests.
Let’s refine the primary storylines, such as “Visions of Truth” and “A Minor Incident,” for seamless progression. This will help eliminate occasional situations where players might get stuck and can’t advance any further.
Gameplay & Balance Adjustments, including:
Comparing the cost of armed weapons with added enhancements against their original, unaltered prices.
NPCs behavior, including the way they act when lacking a shelter during the Emissions.
Cutscenes & Visual Fixes, including:
As a tech-loving gamer, I seldom encounter issues like awkward or absent facial expressions on characters, out-of-place NPCs (Non-Player Characters), and graphical glitches such as heads floating independently or clothing not fitting properly.
Quality and stability improvements of the visual effects.
Softlock Fixes, including:
Problem encountered when gamers failed to exit the trading interface properly, after accidentally placing ammunition into an incorrect slot, during gameplay with a controller.
User Interface Improvements, including:
Quest notifications now showed correctly during dialogues.
Corrected texts and missing interaction prompts.
Noted to be addressed in future updates:
Analogue sticks dead zones bugfixes.
A-Life system bugfixes.
We want to reassure you once more that we will make every effort to constantly improve your S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl experience. We are truly grateful for your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Stalking in the right direction
In my opinion, STALKER 2 stands out as one of the top new games in 2024, boasting an impressive quality even with its unpolished aspects. However, it’s important to note that, given the challenging conditions under which it was developed, there are certain issues present. Remarkably, despite Putin’s conflict, the game managed to be released in a playable state, showcasing the determination of GSC and their team.
In this latest version, we’ve addressed an issue where users with gamepads and Xbox controllers were experiencing problems due to the deadzone issue. At present, the game has deadzones set to zero, causing any gamepad with minimal stick movement to register false inputs as movements. However, Hall Effect gamepads such as the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro and GameSir G7 are resistant to stick drift. Alternatively, you can play STALKER 2 on Xbox using a mouse and keyboard if you have compatible USB peripherals available.
One of the biggest criticisms of STALKER 2 right now pertains to its “A-Life” system, which tries to add dynamism to the game’s events and NPC characters. Right now, it seems to have quite a finnicky range, spawning enemies on top of players randomly in some circumstances. It sounds from the blog post that GSC has heard the feedback here thankfully. I do hope they hear this feedback too though: please nerf Bloodsucker hit points! Or perhaps at least give them some loot to make them worth killing …
Absolutely! Improvements on bug fixes and performance enhancements are being made, which seem to be the team’s top focus at the moment. Given the game’s potential longevity and promising future, it’s expected to maintain a large player base for several months. Catch you all in The Zone!
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2024-11-24 13:09