Darkscape(Lost Alpha)

Darkscape is a major location featuring in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha standalone mod

Overview[]

This map is one of dezowave's own created levels based on SoC global map and old images. Production of the level started in 2008, and it was finished in late 2014.
The bridge was grabbed from SoC cordon level since it was the same model which was used on GSC's original Darkscape level (ref: loading screen k01_darkscape.dds).
There is a large Mine inside the left hand train tunnel where the player must go for a main mission task (also functions as a base for Sin).
A new village can be located near the Mercenaries Service Station.
The area where in GSC's Darkscape had a Petrol Station populated by Zombified Stalkers has a road side service station, a beach and docklands area has now been incorporated and contains 15 Mercenaries (stretching from the service station all the way down through the dockslands/beach).
Some of the large spherical buildings from the Generators map can be found at the bottom left hand corner of the map (outside the mine exit).

Locations[]

Mines[]

A large, maze like cavern system located in the right hand tunnel of the train bridge.
Used by Sin as a HQ

Abandoned Village[]

A medium sized, overgrown village located near the center of the map.
Populated by numerous mutants and anomaly.

Service Station[]

A small old public service station located near the bottom right hand corner of the map (in front of the Docklands).
Populated by a small group of experienced Mercenaries.

Docklands[]

A large, derelict river-port area located behind the Service Station.
Populated by a small group of experienced Mercenaries.

Derelict Generators[]

A large, overgrown area filled with broken and abandoned power generators.
Contains the exit from the Mines and numerous anomalies/mutants.

Notable Buildings[]

Bus Stop[]

A very small bus stop located near the entrance to Dark Valley.
A Small squad of Military officers patrol the area.

Lone House[]

A small, abandoned house located at the bottom right hand corner of the map.
Contains a very useful item.

Derelict Military Outpost[]

A small, derelict military outpost located near the south-west corner of the map (near the Cordon entrance).
Populated by a small group of experienced Mercenaries.

Storyline[]

(Refer to Dark Valley for the previous storyline section).

First Visit:[]

It is advised to acquire the first UAZ Jeep (parked to the right of a small building by the entrance) to progress through the map. In the DC, this has been replaced with a badly damaged car.
Follow the road and watch out for the small detachment of Military personnel in and around the Bus Stop area.
- Note: The soldier inside the Bus Stop holds an RPG-7u and will attack the player once they are close. It is strongly advised to simply drive on (unless the player is well enough armed to dispatch them, leading to completing a side mission much easier later on)..
Continue past the Bus Stop until the broken railroad bridge is reached (near the center of the map on the west hand side).
Once the player gets close enough to the bridge, they will be given a message to head inside the right hand side train tunnel (on foot, as vehicles cannot fit past a certain point in the tunnel) and the next part of the storyline chain will begin:

Find the entrance to the mines[]

Progress down the long train tunnel until a hole (on the left hand side) is reached. Go inside and continue forward and down inside.

Go deeper into the mines[]

Keep walking down into the darkness till a large area with some lockers and a campfire is reached. Once the player enters a short ways into this room, they will be knocked out by an unknown assailant and wake right in the heart of Sin's base of operations.

“

Stalker, I will only give you so much time to explain yourself, so do not try my patience
- First meeting with Veles

”

After the player wakes up, they will be confronted by Veles, the leader of Sin. He tells the player about the area, how Sin are ex prisoners turned test experiments and there subsequent escape from a lab (destroyed) underneath the map.
He eventually asks the player to find certain documents pertaining to the experiments that were done inside the Zone, in an attempt to either slow or stop the Sin faction's mutations. After accepting, the player will be prompted to leave the mines and proceed onto the next stage of the storyline.
Note: upon finishing the dialogue with Veles, he will take all weapons, armour, NVDs and, oddly enough, mutant parts present in your inventory and put them into a locked box. This can be circumvented by accessing your inventory before talking to Veles and dropping all relevant equipment, then picking them all up after conversing with him. He will give a free Akm 74/2 and 8 boxes of 5.45x39 ammunition(240 rounds).

Find the bandits' documents[]

Find another way out of the mines
Get to Darkdolina (Dark Valley)
Find the Bandits' documents
Take the documents to the Sin leader.

1: Find another way out of the mines:

Once the player has finished conversing with Veles, he will supply them with an Akm 74/2 and another Bandit jacket. Head out of the room and exit via the southern exit to trigger the next mission.

2: Get to Darkdolina:

From here, the player can either choose to continue through to Cordon and then up to Garbage or run back around the map/back through the mines to the other entrance and head to Dark Valley.
- Note: If the player does choose to run to the Cordon entrance, then another UAZ Jeep can be found parked outside an abandoned military outpost, near the level transition.

(Refer to Dark Valley for the next storyline section).

Second Visit:[]

Get file about experiments[]

~~Get to X18 lab~~
~~Find old PC with information~~
Bring back the PC data to Veles

3: Bring back the PC data to Veles:

Travel down into the Mines once more and hand over the downloaded PC data to Veles. After a brief chat, he will tell the player he needs one more thing of them, another set of documents from a lab underneath Rostok Factory. From here, Veles will then give the player their next and last mission chain for sin:

“

Good job, stalker. I'm beginning to trust you, so be glad. I have another job for you if you want. We have heard new of a secret lab under the Rostok Factory, and this lab contains documents that pertains to our problem. Find them for us and we will be indebted to you. Oh and grab your stuff in that box on the shelf.
- Veles to Marked One upon handing over the Borov's Documents

”

Find the documents for Sin[]

Go to Rostok Factory via Garbage
Find the secret lab and retrieve the documents
Take the documents to Veles.

1: Go to Rostok Factory via Garbage:

Head up through Cordon and in to Garbage. Once their, head for the entrance to Rostok Factory (through a small gap in the fence) and continue on through in to the new area.
- Note: A small vehicle (such as the UAZ Jeep or Lada Niva) can just about fit through this gap, making traveling around inside a little faster.

(Refer to Rostok Factory for the next part of the storyline section).

Third Visit:[]

“

Stalker, you have no idea what this means to us. All we have left is hope, and this gives us more than we could ever prey for.
- Veles to Marked One upon handing him the Lab X18

”

After handing the documents to Veles and gaining the thanks of sin, there is one final thing left for the player to do:

Leave the mines:[]

Exit via the south entrance to the Mines in order to conclude this mission. One the player has exited the Mines, Sidorovich will contact the player, informing them of some business opportunities from the Ecologists in the Yantar.

Talk with the scientist[]

Get to darkdolina (Yantar)
Talk with the scientist

1: Get to darkdolina:

From here the player must head up to the Great Metal Factory once more, proceed through to Wild Territory and find the entrance to Yantar, located near the north of the map.

(Refer to Yantar for the next storyline section).

Side Missions[]

Notable Loot[]

(By type or sub-location)

Vehicles:

(v1.30013 - 1.4005) Two usable UAZ Jeeps can be found on the map:
One at the entrance to Dark Valley (parked by the building on the right)
One at the Derelict Military Outpost.
As of 1.4007, both are replaced with ZAZ-965 units that need repairing.

A cave near to the bridge, east of the swamp contains the following loot:

x2 Antirad
x1 X-Virus antidote (removed in v1.4007)
x1 Pripyat beer
x1 Sardines
x1 Viper 5 (perfect condition)

Service Station:

x1 Medkit can also be found to the left of the cave (in between the 2 pipes).
x4 OG-7v ammo for the RPG-7u can be found on top of the Mercenary occupied Service Station (climb a ladder at the back of the building)

Abandoned Village is a source of high grade loot in its own right:

An abandoned lorry down the road from the village also contains some useful loot.

Lone House:

Contains an Elite anomaly detector in a backpack in the fireplace.

Vortex cluster:

A large cluster of gravitational Anomalies located west of the Lone House on the map, contains a considerable amount of Wrenched artifacts in early releases. Nearby Boar packs may be encouraged to enter the area to generate Artifact Spawns in later releases.

Grave stash:

An unmarked stash on a nearby grave cross can also be found in the field and contains the following weapons and loot (all in perfect condition)to v1.4005:
x1 SVUmk2
x1 SVDm-2
x1 Tunder S14
x1 Vintar BC
x1 PMm
x5 Medkits

As of 1.4007, the stash above was replaced with the following:

In 1.4007 Director's Cut (build 7246):

Derelict Military Outpost:

A Moskvich can also be found just down the road from the second UAZ or ZAZ (parked next to a small outbuilding)
x1 Mossandra wine and x1 Tinned Sardines can be found on the second floor.
v1.4007: a GP-25 Kostyer grenade launcher can be found in the loft, under the mattress.

Notes[]

As soon as the player starts their engine, the military helicopter will begin its pursuit again, carrying on from Dark Valley. It is very possible that the vehicle may be destroyed en-route, so walking might be more preferable (sticking to the vegetation as much as you can to avoid the airborne threat)
A few small groups of military soldiers guard the road. One soldier is equipped with a RPG-7u and takes up station at the Bus Stop not far from the Dark Valley entrance.
There are very few blowout shelters on Darkscape.
Driving can be difficult on this map due to the high amount of anomalies on the roads. It is advised to be careful and try not to drive heavy footed.
The artifacts spawned are generally limited to Stone Bloods, a few Wrenched and Stone Flowers with an occasional Gravi.
A pair of Bloodsuckers (to v1.4005) and a pack of Blind Dogs can be found around the mid-right portion of the map, skulking around the roadsides.
There is a very small camp of Bandits (located inside the mines) that the player can inadvertently stumble upon while exploring.

Trivia[]

Although the map is from a previous build, this incarnation has been built from scratch, using S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl's global map image to remake the terrain (it is also much bigger than its predecessors).
The Service Station is also built from scratch and was originally to feature in Dead City, as a bus station (the buses still remain in the location of it's cut).
With so few blowout shelters on this level it is easy to get caught in the open.
The tunnel complex, the house near the Bus Stop and the Service Area are about all of the areas that the player may easily reach.
It is not necessary to enter the Mines for the protection offered, just being far enough from the entrance of the rail tunnel is sufficient for survival.
Many of the maps features are copied from Call of Pripyat, or were recycled from cut content into that game. Noahs barge, the docks/cranes, the radioactive dredge, and many other landmarks are present.