S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
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| S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | GSC Game World |
| Publisher(s) | GSC World Publishing Deep Silver (Koch Media) |
| Engine | X-ray Engine 1.5 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | August 22, 2008 (Russian), August 25, 2008 (Ukraine), September 5, 2008 (EU), September 15, 2008 (NA) [1] |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter Role-playing Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, is the stand-alone prequel for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a first-person shooter computer game by Ukrainian developer GSC Game World.[3] The game consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of new areas and old, remodeled areas from the previous game. The X-ray graphics engine has been updated to 1.5 and includes DirectX 10 support. The AI received an overhaul to accommodate the new faction wars feature.
Plot
The player assumes the role of the mercenary Scar, tasked with eliminating the stalker Strelok prior to events in Shadow of Chernobyl.
Gameplay
Gameplay combines elements of survival horror (ammo scavenging, frightening atmosphere with powerful monsters), first-person shooters ("twitch-based" aiming, i.e. no leveling system or "skills"), and RPG's (inventory management, quests, character interaction, armors and defense stats).
The most significant gameplay addition since Shadow of Chernobyl is the faction wars system. Different factions will struggle for territory, attacking to gain territory and then defending to keep it, while others then try to retake it. The player will be able to join and help factions in their battles. The stronger a faction becomes, the better equipment the traders can provide and their soldiers can use. The player character is a mercenary and may do missions for any faction, or remain completely neutral, without consequence. Each of the main factions provide services, most importantly access to a trader and an engineer. Some factions, such as the military, cannot be joined.
Other gameplay advancements since the first game include a deepened weapon customization system with the ability to repair damaged gear. Anomalies are harder to notice and now contain the artifacts in the game, which require a detector to locate. NPCs are given the ability to use hand grenades, take cover dynamically and use "blind-fire" techniques. Light machine guns have been introduced. There are NPC guides in the zone that will provide fast-travel for a fee.
X-ray engine 1.5
Able to scale down enough to run on outdated DirectX 8-capable video cards, the game will have the same minimum system requirements as Shadow of Chernobyl. However, players with high-end PCs will be able to take advantage of new graphical features included in the updated engine. Advancements made in 1.5 include volumetric light (a.k.a. "God-rays"), volumetric smoke, volumetric fire, soft water, dynamic wet surfaces (with water streaming down the sides of surfaces), depth-of-field blur, DirectX 10 support, SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) and more.
Reception
Reception for Clear Sky has been generally positive. PC Zone UK and Games Master UK have both given Clear Sky a score of 88 out of 100, while Edge Magazine gave 7/10 saying the game "turns the best and worse of PC gaming into something extraordinary". [4] GamesTM gave the game 90/100 saying "Clear Sky chiefly succeeds because it transforms grim fantasy into a startlingly real-world experience". [5] PCGamer UK however, awarded the game 68% saying it is "The disappointment of the year", particularly criticizing the increased difficulty and that the atmosphere of the zone was not as well delivered as the original.[6]
Bug reports
Clear Sky was released upon the 22nd August 2008 in Russia, with a patch being available at release (Patch version 1.05 for the Russian version, said to be identical to the International version 1.01 patch). It was soon after reported, on the GSC-gaming official forum among other places, that both the unpatched and patched Russian version suffered from severe stability issues. These included Crashes to Desktop (CtD), Blue Screens of Death (BSOD), bugs that made the game unplayable and a general poor performance of the game even on high end systems. These reports were not unanimous however, and several other members of the boards reported that they had few or no issues with stability, even if bugs in-game remained prevalent. On September 5th 2008 the game was officially released in the rest of the world, except in North America and on Steam Downloads. Reports of poor performance are still prevalent around the official forum and some of the fansites, but the amount of game stopping bugs seems to have seen a significant decrease with the 1.01 patch.
References
- ^ Faylor, Chris (August 29, 2008). "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Delayed Again, Recalled from North American Retailers". ShackNews. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Official Website".
- ^ "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Forming The Zone," Game Informer 178 (February 2008): 84.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/stalkerclearsky?q=S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/stalkerclearsky?q=S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
- ^ PCGamer UK Edition 192 (October 2008)