User blog:Byte Me/DC v1.4005 - The LADC Misery Mod

I really liked LA...

Intro
The most recent DC (v1.4002) was fuggy as buck, but mostly playable and still enjoyable..

OTOH v1.4005 will not be getting much more of my attention because it doesn't reward the player for 'smart play', in fact pretty much all of the pleasure has been sucked out of the game and sacrificed at the altar of


 * "You must play the game with this weapon (a crappy AK74 2u), without a scope. Or else."


 * Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind too much. I'd pick up a better rifle from somewhere later on - except that you CAN'T. All looted weaponry comes in a severely damaged state and mostly can't be sold on (too damaged) for the pittance that they've now been scripted to fetch.
 * Whatever gun that some opponent has just been drilling me with is always broken. It's scripted that way. The game dev even writes this into the changelog. It's disingenuous and unrealistic.
 * Upgrading for profit (as seen in LA v1.3003) doesn't exist.
 * In fact, apart from some repairs that Fox will perform; you have to do some dumb "find the tools" thread to get him performing upgrades. Looks like this involves bringing three toolkits and it looks like two of them are at the Water Dam... so this will be really simple to do ...
 * But I can see a more obvious problem.
 * Even if you get a willing technician, you won't have the money - for ANYTHING.
 * The 'personal economy' - where you got to make a bit of cash on the side - is so badly shagged over, it practically doesn't exist.
 * No passing the Poltergeist's brain with Sidorovich to pass the time of a blowout...
 * As mentioned, gun-running is a waste of effort...
 * Drug-running for pin-money a la SoC is also nerfed...
 * No reselling of premium food and drink items early in the game for full whack. Instead, they fetch a pittance too.
 * There is ONE repeatable task - Find a tail of a blind dog that you can do for a few kopeks - then buy the tail back for about 115 Ru - and repeat for 300 Ru and a bandage (or similar).. big deal.

I could have lived with all of the above, mostly. But then there was this:

I wanted better threads for the Agroprom stuff. The SSP-99M suit and the "Tunder" 5.45 would do nicely if I can get a scope (hollow laugh)


 * Obviously, I will not be able to scrape 20000 together to bribe Warrant Officer, but I don't mind an early knife outing with his local 'problem' - herding fleshes into anomalies and cutting up boar got me to the Bar.
 * Unsurprisingly, Barkeep has none of the nice cheap Chinese 7.62x ammo for the sniper AKMS, nor a PSO-1 scope for the variably useable rifles that it MIGHT still fit on IF I could find a tech to do the work...
 * Running the Wild Territory was even harder than in 1.4002 - but doable.
 * I had a brief recce of Forgotten, south of the Mercenary Base just to see if I could snag a Stone Blood or maybe a Soul. Nothing. All removed from the board...
 * Jumping into the top of the gate still landed me in Yantar, so I made for the Snowflake (which was still there) and the SSP-99M suit (which was also still there) and just managed to GTFO with a wicked hangover...
 * Ran past the snorks into the Radar Station and made a swift ascent up the western balustrade. (Three Zombies and a snork puttering around below...
 * Grabbed the "Tunder 5.45" to discover that it's now been gender-reassigned as a "Tunder 7.62" and weighs 5.2kg empty.

Day TWO
''I very nearly stopped playing at this point. Go figure why...''

But I pressed on and made my way to the Agroprom with the crappy AK742U...

There's something not right with the "help the stalkers' / "Save Mole" routine. He was the only survivor... Then he wandered back into the damn place gushing blood as the Spetznaz drilled him (again)

Underground was mostly routine (nice to have 2nd gen NV) and nice to see that the Bloodsucker is able to be taken out with the Knife - very reminiscent of SoC in a way...

(I would have been carrying a shotgun of some sort, but nothing useful has been worth carrying so far, and, of course, I can't afford one....)


 * Having met up with Ratcatcher I'm at the point where I'm supposed to go up against a MilBase with about 160 rounds and a crappy AK.
 * Yes, I could have brought the sniper AKMS - but it only has about 25 shots and my weight limit is about 35kg remember...

Not happening.

(If I wanted to play the Misery Mod, I wouldn't have been playing this. Nuff said)

So LA has transitioned into "Lost Shadow of Clear Pripyat". You might like it, but I'm not a masochist.

Day THREE

 * Or maybe I am. I just remembered something.
 * I had found "Strelok's Stash" (hattip to Whit) unloaded the AKMS for the 7.62 ammo so overall I had 55 rounds and a sniper AKMS (a useable one) variously stashed around the lower Zone - I consolidated.
 * A weirdness on leaving Aprom to do this "small thing" was that a Blowout struck, the 'gate Mils' did a runner, while I headed for the Mole Tunnel to sit it out.
 * Never saw them again.
 * Alright, alright, the effing gun was in Sid's bunker and the ammo in Rostok.
 * On the plus side - I am trotting around with three Springs two Stone Bloods and a Slug to accompany the PAIR of Snowflakes that I now have when Leftovers of a hunt conveniently came up.
 * (About the Springs, you make your own luck, early in the game in the Trade Route Tunnel as explained in Artifact Spawns) - and with this game on Master - you need to.
 * Oh yes, I have a pair of Cakes as well, but they're pretty useless TBAH.


 * Back to the Mil base with the Sniper AKMS the crappy Akm 74/2U the SSP-99M suit (as luggage) and the Mail jacket fitted with 5kg carry, that I fully intend to Nimble later in tatters....


 * No meet and greet at the Garbage gate ..
 * Minor problem with an errant Boar on the run in.
 * The three road Mils became one and I ran round the back north of the base for the wall break.
 * The sniper was no problem but he had a mate on the ground.
 * From the tower I got another five to close in and die. Made another save.
 * Ran across to the empty tower at the other corner, mostly got there in one piece and used that cover to take out another six with the shitty AK74.
 * (Yes, I forgot to take the other sniper hiding in the trees - must not forget that if there ever is a 'next time')
 * Now, there's a lot of bitching from inside the institute and they don't want to come out.
 * Jumping down, they're easy to take out "through the back windows".
 * Face knife for the sniper, because I'm getting pissed off hearing "Gratzi" every minute. And that seemed to be it.


 * Round up the (massless) documents, but I'm not getting any update cues (odd)


 * Can't find the Military documents.... .. then it hits me .. (Haven't spoken to Ratcatcher..)
 * Correct this minor deficiency - and silently pick up the Lake Agroprom Battery in the process - and head back to a Dead Base.
 * The case has now materialized and snagging it brings up a long line of task updates and I have to see Sid and Barkeep.
 * In this version I still have to "talk" to Nimble, so I'll be back here later on.

Later On.

 * Having spent 8000 repairing the SSP-99M suit and nothing repairing the cruddy Mail Jacket and now "working for Nimble"; I'm looking to improve matters further.
 * First buy a PSO-1 scope off Sid. Shoulda bought an Xray PDA Downloads module as well and saved the 8000.
 * Naturally, ALL of Nimble's "targets" have now spawned on the board...
 * So since I'm now in Great Metal Factory(Lost Alpha) with the Personal "Tunder" 5.45 suitably scoped, I finally agree to Help the group of stalkers. At daybreak.

Day FOUR
(I remember taking on that base in v1.30013, v1.3002, v1.3003... it's pretty suicidal - and they're good with grenades for good measure. Screw that. Just the military rush will be enough)
 * Usual MO. Run through the Pdog pack and take a position at the Forest turn.
 * Pick off the dogs with single shots from that Personal "Tunder" 5.45, preferably as they're running towards me. Only needs about a pack of ammo...
 * Two Pseudodog tails looted, usual reward from the Novices.
 * Meet Petrenko, get to meet his pal Gusarov.
 * I'm not going anywhere near the Dark Valley without an Xray PDA Downloads module (not waiting for Veles to pony up), on the basis that if I can get access to X18 while on parlay terms with Monolith - then that's what I'm doing.
 * As far as I'm concerned - I'm into the Lab, don the SSP-99M suit for the NV, trigger ONLY the first Bloodsucker cutscene (unavoidable), grab the docs, raid the PCs - and back out in the Mail jacket.
 * To do this small thing - I need about 4000 to buy the memstick off Barkeep (whose prices are outrageous at 11500)
 * That tightwad Hunter should be good for 2000, and a looted Devil's guts ought to be good for another 2000 or so (it's an otherwise useless arty)
 * Shouldn't be too hard with the "Tunder 5.45"
 * It wasn't. Even scored a Snork foot a Hunter PS5 (or whatever..) for later sale to Nimble and the bloody Hunter's Shotgun.
 * Ordinarily, there's some useful weaponry on the Bandits - an SGI 5k and a Chaser 13 showed up with a pair of HPSS-1m - but the first pair were totally shagged and only useful as suppositories for Game Developers.

Later on...

 * The Find the documents (Forest) mission 'comes up' when you deliver the Agroprom docs to Sid. So I thought that I might do something about this... by 'rescuing the Twit' for Seriy.
 * Still in the Mail jacket, I took the Boar pack on with the knife...
 * After they'd stiffed me a couple of times I wisely took the pair of Souls off my belt and had another go at the gulag limit (sort of)
 * Put the Souls back on to 'heal'. The Rock from Strelok's stash will be on my belt for the remainder of what I play.
 * Milked the Music Village Zombies for another Cake and a pair of Springs... discovered something:
 * The last one, a Ghost Zombie, will not trigger an Artifact Spawns. Seems strange.
 * Grabbed the Goldfish and learnt from experience to run like crap back to the Duty Checkpoint (Forest) before the Blowout warning started. Zero chance for any other shelter.
 * Ran back and on to the Flesh pack (now wearing FIVE Springs - and no Souls until after) and gave them the blade.

Zombie Village

 * This was just plain weird.
 * I was not looking forward to crackshot zombifieds firing out of bushes. Didn't happen....
 * I managed to run down and in - and get into the house where one was stationed. It seemed slow - face knifed in one as usual. (Now I'm in a building for cover and can head shot them as they lumber up and in)
 * They didn't move.
 * So I picked one off through a window and (made a save) walked out with the knife and quickly 'red dot located' them in the bushes and offed them...
 * WTF???
 * FFS, I had lugged the bloody Sniper AKMS out here just in case (and definitely for the Bandit Mine later on) and I'd used two bullets from the Tunder.
 * Escorted Paulie the Stew (who now has a new face) back for the reward - the mission doesn't update correctly in PDA data chunks - but it 'completes'.


 * Find the documents (Forest) / Bandit Mine


 * So now I get to run through the fine scenery for a THIRD time all the way to the Bandit Mine.
 * I'm pointedly IGNORING the "wounded stalker" bullshit until I have a bit more telepathy protection (if ever) - daft mission anyway.
 * So I get to the mine... and there's NO-ONE there.
 * Weird noises in the mine itself (probably to do with that twat I'm pointedly ignoring)
 * Grab the docs, mission completes - GTFO for the reward.
 * Took the OTHER Mail jacket from the mine. I'll be needing that (with 5kg carry) later on.
 * Headed to Cordon with the Hunter Suit - picked up the Viper to save time..
 * Delivered the Mail jkt and Viper (but NOT the "Personal Tunder" as that seems quite handy) and stashed the Hunt Suit near Sid.

Day FIVE

 * Now entering Garbage en route to lower Dark Valley(Lost Alpha), for a sleep at the Pig Farm.
 * The Dark Valley (dolina) is pretty pedestrian TBAH.
 * It was an AOK level for v1.3003, and although plenty of players bitched about the "clown car" Lada Niva Hospital Service - so much that it got "cut" from LADC and replaced with a 'regular' copy; I quite liked the old banger.. so much that I actually took it through the Vehicle Graveyard all the way to Dead City's Streets where I took its piccie with that other reprehensible Lana Niva form Radar (when it actually had a boot)
 * I digress. But I shall probably actually USE the Radar Wreck later on.. either with or without a funny hat, haven't decided yet.
 * So I had a kip, stashed some shit in the Blue Box and made my way to priority NUMBER ONE - the Anomaly Fields by the Cats..
 * Extracted the easily visible nerfed Night Star blocker and pushed off to remove the Meat Chunk from the other Anomaly Field, sniffed out weaponry from the local train car - a flipping mint Viper 5 (seriously...) and calculated a mental strategy timelan to be running between the AFs with a goal of screwing them for a pair of Goldfish and Ball of Twine artifacts before calling it a day.
 * (I'm not planning to make Flame artifacts all that much later on, so the Fireballs can jump into the Sun.

Preamble

 * Because I was 'churchmouse poor' because the Personal Economy is so shagged up by design - I didn't shoot the breeze with that turncoat Trenchcoated wanker Snitch earlier in the Bar.


 * Because of that "mistake" I was fully expecting the Bandit Armoury to be 'locked' in this new superduper final version of the Dev Cu*t.
 * Sure was!!
 * The other Trenchcoated pillock guarding it (same jerk, same weaponry looks like - will check later..) wants a King's Randsome of 5000 for a gun or two.
 * So I'll nip back to the Bar and see if 500 to wanky Snitch comes up trumps. (I think I can risk 500.....)
 * Good job I brought a couple of Cossacks vodkas. 


 * Find a drunk bribe a drunk. Same old same old.
 * Bought 120 rounds of 7.62x39mm off the bandit trader for about 1200. I thought it was a bargain...


 * Onward (with a minor buzz)

Monolith Base

 * Not messing around here. Meet Monolith informer still costs 10000.
 * AGAIN WTF??? this is "balance" in the eyes of the Dev Cu*t? Oh I get it. I'm supposed to 'dip into' the 11500 Petrenko gifted me for the Find the documents (Forest) gig. Colour me disillusioned again.
 * No matter, I was expecting it.
 * Paid up. Pushed off. Heded for X18(Lost Alpha) with 5271 remembered from nobody and nowhere...

Darklab
I was also not waiting for the damn cutscene to complete. Snorks meet knife. Two Snork foot trophies for good measure (make Rocks later)
 * A total breeze...
 * Never bothered to use the SSP-99M suit...
 * Walked in. Got the BS talkie from Petrenko and made my way in.
 * Armed with the knife (it's almost getting tedious) I had at it with the guard Zombie. Dead forever in two neck swipes - I'm undamaged - (wtf?)
 * Grabbed Documents from Lab X18, part 4 and pulled the PC password out of the deepest recesses of my gaming memory (I'm joking - "top_secret") and opened the compnet fwiw.
 * Let's be honest - there's not much reason to return here later - I don't want to see the cutscenes more than I have to - I will avoid most - It was A LOT OF FUN IN LA, but it needed MORE for any poxy DC version. And it doesn't deliver... Half a dozen errant Burers and Controllers might have spiced it up. But I'm "In, Out and GONE baby".
 * Downstairs with Documents from Lab X18, part 2 there are a couple of Tushkano tails available, a Rat and the Zombies really are wanky.. a couple of neck chops and they are GONE. This is NOT progress. This is too easy. I LIKED it when you had to drop them with a few 9x18 rounds from a lightened HPSS-1m and then move in with the knife. This just sucks.
 * (I must admit - even on Master difficulty - these SIX Springs, the Fungus, the pair of Ball of Twines on the belt are (clears throat) helping.
 * The bloodsucker cut was another joke. Just leave him to his own devices as you pick up the Documents from Lab X18, part 1 and grab the PC data - the MJ will take the damage (lol)
 * Walk away and leave him in his gulag, up the lift shaft and around to the snork cut.
 * Now I'll be honest here. I made a save here and just walked round to the Documents from Lab X18, part 5 working on how feeble the Snorks were in v1.4002.
 * Head back upstairs. Back down to the BTR-70 Armored Personnel Carrier garage (killing the odd rat) letting the Bloodsucker have a quick 'kiss' (I'm bored) on my way down to the basement.
 * (I'm pretty sure that this freaked out Blood is having a nice day with the local Burner anomalies and that he will eventually toast himself.. don't care either way)
 * Just as I'm in the "den of the Pseudogiants" - I hear his "toasting out"
 * Grabbed the Documents from Lab X18, part 3 and a warm set of Bloodsucker tentacles as a leaving present.
 * GTFO. Never coming back. Seen enough.


 * Back to the Retrieve information about X18 mission upstairs.......

Retrieve information about X18

 * So I remembered to bring a gun for the party..
 * Grabbed all of the crap from the commander's office just out of habit..
 * Made save..
 * Took the bait 'Document' - hid behind a corner and waited for the shitfest to reach me.
 * End result: 27 Military retired early by yours truly.
 * I may have a corner on the PSO-1 scope market (eight spares)
 * As was fully expected, ABSOLUTELY ZERO in the way of an RPG-7u weapon or any OG-7v ammo. This was obviously a v1.4002 snafu. Pretty obvious that the old "run through Darkscape" to the Bus Stop(Darkscape) was a major MO.
 * (Previously, in v1.4002 you could snag a rocket job in this firefight and take out the non-existent heli (since only a moron would take such stupid bait), or lug it into Darkscape, hide in the first blockhouse, and pick off the heli.
 * Pretty obvious that that minor finesse was going to be obviated..


 * Now I KNOW that the old "run through Darkscape" to the Bus Stop(Darkscape) is my MO... Not a problem, this was how v1.3003 was played.
 * I ignore the BS 'find a vehicle in the vicinity' task - but many thanks for correcting the typo for DC.
 * Drop off (considerable) crap at the Blue Box, trim down, grab the Sniper AKMS and a bit of ammo.
 * Jump the gate to Darkscape..

Darkscape Heli-chase

 * Pretty much a do-over of the v1.3003 version. In fact exactly like LA.
 * Basically, running through the forestry (hopefully missing the anomalies) making several fall back saves.
 * Sneak up on the grunt with the rocket launcher and take down the heli.
 * The Bus stop provides rudimentary cover from his pals. Sort of.
 * Towards the Mine tunnel a bit, one of his pals was having an altercation with the local Zombies. So I shot him as he revealed his location - and went to play with the zombies.
 * There's a little house with Vortex anomalies in the entrance. Very nasty.
 * Climbing into the house from the other side gets the zombies marching straight into this deathtrap. I made a quick save, and first time of asking the first one in spawned a Crescent. Made another save to lock it onto the board.
 * But with crappy detection gear - I just could not find this artifact. From experience, they tend to get 'thrown' a bit by the anomaly during the spawn. I'll come back when I have the vortex database installed... I think a bloke in Yantar might be able to do that.
 * Nothing much else to report here. Enter mine, go deeper etc, get whacked.. leave by the south and swipe a Moskvich without getting into a firefight with the Mercs.
 * In south DS, I want the Elite anomaly detector ASAP. So I park near the "Rifle Grave" and retrieve it.
 * Now I can "see" the anomalies and hopefully lure some Boar into them without doing the same.
 * Quite inexplicably, the first Boar spawns another Crescent... but I'm too busy with the knife on the rest of his herd who have managed NOT to succumb. I make a lock in save anyway. Now I have two search priorities for later on.
 * I pointedly IGNORE going to the Abandoned Village. Not in a tattered Mail jacket.. Maybe later on.
 * Go back round to the DV.

Day SIX

 * Was spent running around the lower zone ferrying crap for Nimble's future missions.
 * Returning to the Bar after slumming it with Sin, did of course trigger the Sin Spy cutscene - which landed me a pair of mint Obokan/AC96/2 which I will now use (one) in place of the Personal "Tunder" 5.45.
 * Turns out Snitch wanted 1000 for the Bandit Armoury BS - it didn't get me any help and I was unwilling to wind the game back for a 1000 Ru. Chalk it up to experience.
 * The Bandit Base gameplay has been 'tightened up'.
 * After being drilled for accidentally taking the local trader's snacks..
 * ..or just casually picking up the jail key...
 * ..or taking Borov's munchies..
 * I decided that cowardly subterfuge was the best policy (Shaggy Sergei probably needs to wait) and shot the breeze with Borov.
 * This bit is 'new': after giving me the 295 safecode - he wanders off!
 * Office door won't shut...
 * Taking his docs and Bull Magnum doesn't get me outed, so I just adlib and exit the base.
 * That does blot my copybook, and I'll need a good reason to go back there.
 * Delivery job to Veles...
 * Exit to Cordon
 * Give numbnutz Nimble that nice Groza AND conclude about four other jobs / missions in short order while he's in the Rookie Village.
 * Get the job to get the suit at the back of the Brain vat.

Day SEVEN

 * Yantar. (Again - because I've brought the SSP-99M suit for telepathic resistance) My artifact protection in this respect is a miserly 45 (two Ball of Twine and the Urchin) But this comes later on.
 * First is to hit Sakharov for an Artifact Merger (28000 plus cook files for the Rock 4000) and get three of these pipelined.
 * Then it's off to Dead City(Lost Alpha) for Sakharov - nothing new here - except that you CAN make saves after the jail scene again.
 * Run into the middle of the Swamps(Lost Alpha) to deactivate the heli chase - then go back to Yantar picking up the Soul on the way.
 * By the time I'm ready to "Find the rifle" for Oleg Rugov my rupture protect is GOOD (over 100%) and I've brought a Chaser 13 from somewhere and Sacky has been selling me cheapish buckshot for later as well.

Blood Lair

 * Run in - toss a F1 Grenade into the back and take cover.
 * Repeat. Surprisingly this kills three...
 * Crouch back under the rubble (badly) and whip the Chaser out as the rest close in for a group "kiss"...
 * Not my favourite STALKER memory - but they can't do me any damage with all my belt artys.
 * As they come up for air, the Chaser talks. I swear I only needed 20 of the 150 cartridges that I packed. WTF?? These bloods are pussified.
 * Made a save on killing all eight. Good job too. Get "ejected" from the Brain Vat aaand..
 * A Controller spawns as I'm leaving and pulverizes me when I run back to stop the bastard. On a reload, I manage to grenade him leaving the back lab. Next time I see your pals I'll have the 99M on for added help...
 * Pick up and deliver the wrecked Groza - the recipient still doesn't care - and stash the SEVA suit - which looks detuned on a cursory glance.

Day EIGHT

 * I'm finally tumbling to the unpleasant fact that pretty much all artifacts have been negged for Bulletproofing - presumably on the basis that later canon games (CoP particularly) transferred the BP factor to a 'suit only' property.
 * Let me be completely clear about how I feel about this nonsense:
 * It sucks donkey balls...


 * Allow me a moment of the reader's time to explain:
 * As with the "You will use this gun - or else" mentioned above, this 'encourages' the player to preferentially use the 'BP doctored' nonsense suits periodically issued or 'found'.
 * This does not allow proper non-linear gameplay - in the places where serious firefights break out (Radar(Lost Alpha), Pripyat(Lost Alpha) and especially Damned before there) - the player is going to get creamed...
 * As for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant(Lost Alpha), forget about the Military fork.
 * To be fair, I suppose that PU could be done by trying to lure 24 Zombified Stalkers into the entrance tunnel anomalies - but seriously??
 * On the plus side - now that the Rock has swapped 10 points of BP for 10 points of impact (which I never needed anyway), along with the Springs topping me off with 100+% rupture.. you can take anything unarmed out with the knife.
 * But this is nothing new. ALL flavours of LA have had this potential.
 * So..
 * I bought the mod for Vortex anomalies fitted to the crappy Detector "Echo" and went back looking for these f***ing Crescents.
 * At this first Darkscape zombie house, the zombies had respawned as Ghost Zombies. No big deal. But no cigar. It just wasn't there. Found a poxy wrenched and a Goldfish which almost made it worth the shoeleather.
 * Pushed on towards the UAZ Jeep which was abandoned by the Tunnel. There will probably be Mils there...
 * After they had stiffed me from range with about 2 bullets around seven times - I had a rethink. Lured them over the bridge and picked them off - or let the Swampbeasts mix it up a bit and loot everything accordingly..
 * Took the jeep to the southside, had another sniff for the Crescent - found it (and it's still crap) - played with the Boar and Flesh (and gained another Spring)
 * Finished with Veles. Took the jeep to the Trade Route Tunnel and got paid by Numnutz for the Groza and 'Pecker'.
 * Checked that the "bloodbath repairs" were OK by consulting Fox about how much repairs would be on the SSP-100M - around 700 Ru (and declined - on the basis that a melee fight can do my repairs)
 * Went of foot to Yantar.
 * Bought recipes for Flame and Sauron's eye.
 * Started a flame off and went to see Doc about a nonsensical cutscene.
 * Still nonsensical.
 * It lost any sense when the Illuminati thread was removed from the overall plot - a BIG mistake.
 * Received my wonderful Flame (which now has bullshit properties - and NO BP characteristic)
 * Headed to see Ghost and put a Sauron's eye on to cook.
 * Received my wonderful Flame (which now has bullshit properties - and NO BP characteristic)
 * Headed to see Ghost and put a Sauron's eye on to cook.

Day NINE

 * Saw Ghost. Received Vintar BC + ammo as per (to go with the Sniper TRs 301 that I have 'acquired' for a certain Numbnuts half a zone away...)
 * My actor won't sleep - "not tired".. kept trying - same BS..
 * Well stalkers, I know what this is working up to (and so do you) - my actor will start to bitch just as I really need to be on form, round about the time that I have to "storm the base".
 * NOT HAPPENING.
 * Instead, I meet up with the 'bullet magnet' Contact. And just stand there..
 * Eventually, I can get my actor to take a nap (other than the "dirt nap") --- at about 05:30h!! I do a save (JIC the Sauron's eye cookery goes TU) and take a three hour 'nap'...
 * I get a SE on the first flush (more on what a total POS that is later) and do my bit reaching the base (i.e. stiffing the snipers and an odd merc and running in like dysentery ... making a beeline for the PC and snagging the downloads before the "blowout")
 * I completely ignore going after any sniper gear after Contact does his cut content deathscene - even though I'm invulnerable at this stage to the roaming mutants. I don't trust this mod version to be other than a Misery Mod.
 * Note to players - some OTHER mercs might survive the BO..
 * I just want an end to this crap. The unexpected merc survivor who got me once is semi-zombified but needs five 5.45 headshots..
 * MadDog is still a berk. He got me twice from impossible range, but can be played from the map marker easily enough..
 * My Artifact Merger spat out a quite unexpected SECOND Sauron's eye later on.
 * No clue.. I certainly didn't have the parts for it... possibly a glitch ..
 * This is what the bastardized SE had in the way of parameters - read 'em and loose all hope stalkers:


 * Of course, it's pretty toxic.
 * Selling TWO to Sakharov (for 38500 each) permitted me to but and mostly u/g a Detector "Bear" via Professor Kruglov. For a reasonable price.
 * More as it unfolds - if ever.

Day TEN

 * Was mostly spent running round the middle zone with Maddog Crystal, PDA boards and PDA wires for the BS pda task.
 * The ogives that I had pre-dropped inside the Tower had evaporated from the map..
 * Stiffed the helis and threw the RPG away (since Petrenko won't buy it - eve for a pittance anymore)
 * I took Kruglov's music task and looked the Electro Oasis over for valuables..
 * ZERO artifacts except for a semi-useless Accumulator. (FFS...)
 * Got back to Yantar to deliver, to find that the dipshit expedition professor was 'door-humping' - so I couldn't deliver...

Day ELEVEN

 * Did this, did that, spread the other...
 * Did countryside to find that the game crashed in X16 - labcoat versus inexplicably hostile Mil is pretty hard to work around. And that was switching the thing on..
 * Trying to reenter Countryside CTDd without logfile. Oh just great.

Day TWELVE

 * Since, while 'working' in Outskirts to find the calibration tools, there seemed no reason not to dis the Earthquake device and snag the PC info for later.


 * The mission will not fully complete of course because you are supposed to do this after the scorcher is dissed, but this is a minor matter since Guide spawns in his lair, and a quick chat gets the heads-up to 'meet with Fang'.


 * Now initially, I didn't bother with Fang as I wanted to do the X16 routine - which turned out to be "broken", so I backtracked to where I HADN'T entered Countryside principally because I couldn't re-enter Countryside from Lost Factory - as it crashed the game... - and met up with Fang.


 * No problem there, nor in Radar, but I'm not thrilled at the prospect of the occupants of the PU station. I'll get shredded. So I work something that worked in v1.3002, v1.3003, v1.4002,... and jump the fence on Snork Hill and run round the back of the level changer to the NPP. Again - no problems, and a smallish firefight with the Sarcophagus door guards.


 * I do all business and head for the Generators. Do the X2 sequence and arrive in "Unknown Area" to 'meet with Ghost'. I also get the alternate ending heads-up (since I have the 'enlightered docs' (not my typo)) so I get over to where it's supposed to happen - and make a save.

I'm fully fed and watered...
 * I just slept 3h in X2 before grenading the 'thing' so my actor will not sleep..


 * And the Oso door leads straight to my desktop. No logfile. No error message. Just the desktop, repeatedly.


 * Alternatively, talking to Ghost starts the 'Good Ending' sequence - time goes into warp mode - and I die of sleep deprivation, then thirst, because the game clock is still visible ticking off a game day every 10 seconds.

No Freeplay obviously. This game was tested????

Conclusions and Observations

 * On a first play, I'm not likely to return and play a second one soon.
 * If my experiences in X16 and Generators 2(Lost Alpha) are corroborated by other players, then the game was not adequately play tested before release.
 * Apart from one Droplets found in the ammo tin at Bandit Mine, I never saw another in the game.
 * Ditto for Crystal.
 * In the segment where I actually played Countryside (before having to wind back) I found a Mercury ball near the Water Dam. Inexplicable - and more of a joke really.
 * Dushman was (inexplicably) carrying the Documents from the outpost and a "key to the secret stash in Pripyat".
 * MadDog was also carrying a "key to the secret stash in Pripyat" (also inexplicably - what? Is it a bank vault ffs??)
 * The vast majority of artifacts have been removed from the board.
 * Those that remain are "rebalanced" in silly manners to either remove utility or just confuse the game player.
 * Incredibly, even more (equally questionable) artifacts have been added. I guess 58 just were not enough.
 * Quest items now mass 0.0kg - this is silly, stupid, unrealistic and disingenuous. It's also a direct consequence of coding a game into unnecessary complexity by adding any and all items and rebalancing them in an attempt at 'realism'. The Zone isn't real - it's just a playboard for a game...
 * Enjoy it if you can.
 * I really liked S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha - it was going somewhere, even v1.3003.
 * Playing v1.4005 was more of a chore, and very little pleasure.