bit-tech.net | S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

Tim S 13th September 2008, 15:23

Yep, I agree :)

Don't forget we also said that there are two ways to score the game - it could've been a 7 or 8 had we just ignored its bug-infested state, or it could've been a 2 or 3 (like we ended up scoring it) when you take into account the instability and bugginess.

Star*Dagger 13th September 2008, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakyb
why do they do this?

relase a clearly unfinished game, you dont see it in any other walk of life so why in games

It IS seen in other walks of life. George W. Bush, a half developed human. And now his party puts forth Caribou Barbie as a VP choice.
I'd prefer half baked games rather than half baked governance!

I hope the game gets patched, I have STALKER SoC here, it came with my ROG motherboard. I would like to play both. Companies, large or small should know that 1) releasing buggy games is always a bad idea, regardless of what some half wit MBS suit says. 2) Releasing games with DRM are likewise a bad idea. It seems that in the last few months both of these issues have reared their ugly heads.

Yours in Radioactive Plasma,
Star*Dagger

Hamish 13th September 2008, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
OK I fixed that image.

I put in about another five hours this evening with an ATI card (HD 4870 X2) and the latest patch to see if it really makes a difference and I have to say stuff has been fixed that changes the game completely to what it was! Just the little things that I've come to remember now I've played the first 8 hours through five times. However, it's now 11:20 and again I've just started getting consistent CTDs again :(

yep, played about 9-10 hours with the new patch and 2 or 3 CTDs, better than before but not totally fixed
game is much improved with this patch tho, faction warfare seems to work properly for one!
am going to launch an assault on the duty base soon

Bindibadgi 13th September 2008, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamish

am going to launch an assault on the duty base soon

Are you Freedom too? I pimped out the rifle they gave me completely - it's heavy as a lead brick but it's accuracy is phenomenal :D

Lockinvar 13th September 2008, 17:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mentai
I think Bit-tech made a fair call on this one. If it is this buggy on MULTIPLE systems after a week of consistent testing, it is a broken product. That's it. If it's not broken for some people, great, but in all likeliness it will be for the majority of users, which a review has to cater for. Also no game review should be held back more than a week imo, especially single player, and the review must go up considering the current state of the game. All the fanboys need to get over themselves and accept the fact that for many this game presents a completely unacceptable experience, thus the 3 is justified.

I completely agree. I think bit-tech made a tough but correct call.

Jonelo 13th September 2008, 22:33

I remenber another game , absolutely unplayable in my systems . Even today . Splinter Cell Double Agent, not work in a 8800 series normally , and in another PC also is unplayable in some points by the bugs . And is a very good game , A 9 game ;)

"For all the moans, the overall experience is a really fun one, a really exciting one, and one that really gives you that 'this is the future of gaming' tingly feeling. If you have a 360, or a PC capable * of running the game happily, you'll have a great time with Double Agent - just don't expect it to everything you dreamed of."

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2006/11/08/splinter_cell_double_agent/2

Hamish 14th September 2008, 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
Are you Freedom too? I pimped out the rifle they gave me completely - it's heavy as a lead brick but it's accuracy is phenomenal :D

i went Duty the first time round, this time i went Freedom
Freedom is the better choice imo
and their barman is a pothead :D

Duty give you an AK with ROF mods, its nice but it tears through ammo too fast, i also had a rof modded M4 thing which tore through my 5.56 ammo aswell lol
the SIG with accuracy mods freedom give you is win though, you dont need rof when you can just put every shot into their face :P
also doesnt destroy it self so ridiculously fast
i do miss the grenade launcher tho :(

so i wiped out the duty base, unfortunately they respawn...
bit disappointing and slightly hilarious, theres like 20 freedom guys just wandering around the duty base but the main building is jammed full of respawned duty guys
and they dont shoot at each other :p

i got like 11k reward + some random crap for basically taking all of agropom though (and then spent all of it fixing my guns and armour sigh :()
need to go wipe out hte rest of them in army warehouses and red forest now though i think ;)

Vode 14th September 2008, 06:48

Anyone else noticed the practically infinite money you can get from selling the expensive AP ammo you find in the stashes at most major Stalker camps?

It seems to refill slightly every Stalker that visits the camp, they also contain First Aid kits, launcher grenades, anti-rad, etc.

Berk 14th September 2008, 07:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vode
Anyone else noticed the practically infinite money you can get from selling the expensive AP ammo you find in the stashes at most major Stalker camps?

It seems to refill slightly every Stalker that visits the camp, they also contain First Aid kits, launcher grenades, anti-rad, etc.

Patch 1.5.0.4 should have limited that a bit, as those stashes were apparently overfilling and causing crashes.

Also, I'd rather have the AP ammo than the money, it's much easier to put bad men down with the AP ammo than the standard stuff.

Tim S 14th September 2008, 08:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonelo
I remenber another game , absolutely unplayable in my systems . Even today . Splinter Cell Double Agent, not work in a 8800 series normally , and in another PC also is unplayable in some points by the bugs . And is a very good game , A 9 game ;)

"For all the moans, the overall experience is a really fun one, a really exciting one, and one that really gives you that 'this is the future of gaming' tingly feeling. If you have a 360, or a PC capable * of running the game happily, you'll have a great time with Double Agent - just don't expect it to everything you dreamed of."

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2006/11/08/splinter_cell_double_agent/2

The game was reviewed on the Xbox 360 before the PC version even came out - we hadn't even seen the PC version at that point and it makes both of these points very clear at the start of the article. Also, it was reviewed by the previous Editor of the site, who left the team almost 18 months ago. The editorial policy has moved forwards since then and I believe we're a lot stricter on what products 'make the grade'.

andybones 14th September 2008, 10:08

got the game and patched it up.will see how it plays.

thurauh1 14th September 2008, 18:27

I find it highly interesting that the 8800 Nividia graphics cards tend to crash games. Both Mass Effect and now Stalker: Clear Sky seem not to playing well on 8800 cards. Nvidia seem to have released faulty products, then?

On the Mass Effect forums many people have mentioned that the can play the game if they play the game with the 175.19 drivers - not the higher numbered drivers.

Some reviews - maybe this one too? complains that the game(play) now is too hard. And to that I just have to say -eh?-

It is some sort of a requirement that a sequel or prequel need lesser or more easier gameplay than the first one?

Neogumbercules 14th September 2008, 21:03

I really wanna play this game. I really do. But between the laser guided grenades, the many extremely annoying ways to die, and the fact that my game has now started to crash 2 minutes after loading my save file without fail is really starting to bug me.

CardJoe 14th September 2008, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurauh1
Some reviews - maybe this one too? complains that the game(play) now is too hard. And to that I just have to say -eh?-

It is some sort of a requirement that a sequel or prequel need lesser or more easier gameplay than the first one?

Not at all, and since Rich and I have both played the first STALKER extensively and were already familiar with the game and how to play it it was kind of hard to judge if it's harder.

In the end, I think it is a little bit harder (though that isn't a bad thing) - not as a result of the enemies or environment however, but because of the controls and interface. Personally I find it very hard to keep track of my own movements, those of the squad I'm with, who's an enemy and who isn't, how low my health is and whether or not I'm bleeding, as well as how hungry I am, how much ammo is left, condition of a gun and so on and so on. In the really big fights it can all get a bit much.

I wouldn't say the difficulty is a problem however for good FPS players.

Mankz 14th September 2008, 21:54

I've now completed it, not a single bug, nothing. Rather enjoyed it actually...

And yes, it is a difficult game. I remeber the first mission in Shadow of Chernobyl was seemingly impossible for me at first as I wasn't use to the gunplay of it.

Hamish 14th September 2008, 23:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardJoe
Not at all, and since Rich and I have both played the first STALKER extensively and were already familiar with the game and how to play it it was kind of hard to judge if it's harder.

In the end, I think it is a little bit harder (though that isn't a bad thing) - not as a result of the enemies or environment however, but because of the controls and interface. Personally I find it very hard to keep track of my own movements, those of the squad I'm with, who's an enemy and who isn't, how low my health is and whether or not I'm bleeding, as well as how hungry I am, how much ammo is left, condition of a gun and so on and so on. In the really big fights it can all get a bit much.

I wouldn't say the difficulty is a problem however for good FPS players.

i would say it is a fair bit harder than the first one tbh, pretty much made up for by not having the guns available to you in the first 3/4 of the game being utterly useless though ;)

also, you really dont need to keep track of the condition of your gun and how hungry you are during a fight
aside from keeping track of where your retard AI teammates are its the same as any other FPS during fights

PS, have now got duty down to strength 7 :D
think thats just the guys that respawned in the building, will have to go wipe them out again and see what happens lol

WeenFan 15th September 2008, 04:59

Hello Bit-Tech. I registered specifically to let you know how much I appreciate the honest review. I've seen too many mainstream reviews ignore the bugs and crashes of CS and it's time for game developers (great and small) to face the music.

Last week, back when the GSC forums were working (ahem), I read a similar tale from someone who claimed to have been an artist for several AAA game titles. It was a very well-written and fair review, I felt. He spoke of "class-c" and "class-b" bugs and that because Clear Sky had even one single "class-a" bug (I assume this is the CTD or BSoD), that it was an utter disaster and that, clearly, there was no play-testing done.

It was because of this review that I canceled my Amazon preorder. Your review is independent verification although I've read plenty of similar experiences in the GSC and other forums. I've also seen the bizarre reactions similar to Lepermessiah's: that crashes are the fault of the reviewer for not making use of patches. I'm not sure how many foot-pounds of pressure the blow to their heads were to make them think the way they do, but I assume they're all receiving medical care. And good for them!

By the way, I absolutely LOVE the first Stalker game. I've said more than once that it is the best single-player PC game experience I've ever had. To those of you who've mentioned owning but not playing SHoC through...do yourselves a favor: patch it to 1.0004 or 1.0005 and install the Oblivion Lost 2.2 mod. You will not regret it. Rock solid, bugs removed, game enhanced in just about every way. I'm playing it through for the fourth or fifth time, I think? Out of the "love it or hate it" camp, I'm the director of the Love Camp, so you can imagine my heartbreak at hearing how abysmal these reviews are. Shouldn't we expect to get as great a gaming experience out of the box as we get after 5 patches and a squad of mods? I believe we should.

By the way x2, I'm an American supporting Barak Obama. Not all of us are bat-shit Mcrazy. However, assuming all of them show up to vote, can I stay at your place while I look for a job/residence in England? Or Australia? I've always wanted to go there too!

Thanks,
WeenFan

AsSuLuTo 15th September 2008, 23:10

Just a quick one guys. What was the main guts of the testbed?

I'm running the following and I've played it for hours straight on a used build straight from the first patch released without a single crash or BSOD...surely I can't be the only one?

Vista Ultimate X64
E6750 @ Stock
DFI LT X38 T2R
2x 3870 in crossfire using 8.7's initially and now 8.8's
4GB RAM @ Stock
WD Velociraptor

I updated to the same patches you did and played it pretty much nonstop over the weekend, the only annoyances I had was with the strangely balanced gameplay e.g. blasting someone square in the face with a shotgun only to have him run up to me and kill me with some crafty halitosis. As far as the game itself goes the performance has been a bit clunky in places (though I think thats down to over ambigous quality settings on my behalf) or occasional stuttering when the game is loading new territory.

Comments? Feedback?

ozz1988 16th September 2008, 00:53

Hurah my first post!

I have been looking forward to this post since I finished SOC. I was mighty dissapointed when I saw the rating of 3, but I am still going to buy it (has not been released in NZ yet)

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/41456/S-T-A-L-K-E-R-Clear-Sky-Patch-2-Released

This looks positive.

ozz1988 16th September 2008, 00:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozz1988
Hurah my first post!

I have been looking forward to GAME* (I am teh noob) post since I finished SOC. I was mighty dissapointed when I saw the rating of 3, but I am still going to buy it (has not been released in NZ yet)

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/41456/S-T-A-L-K-E-R-Clear-Sky-Patch-2-Released

This looks positive.

Neogumbercules 16th September 2008, 01:29

In my short few hours of playing I experienced multiple game-ending bugs. One where my save file would just crash after loading every single time, without fail. Another where I couldn't zone because the UI wouldn't display the yes/no option correctly and it would always think I said "no." And of course the patches make your save file no good, so if you're having a bug that's keeping you from playing and the patch fixes it, you have to restart anyway. Besides those ultra serious bugs, I've hit tons more that just make no sense.

Then there's the gameplay itself, which while fun, seems broken in so many ways. The LASER guided hand grenades are a not so fun addition. Then there's the randomness of the faction war system. I just love walking away from an outpost I captured for my faction only to have the AI dudes I left there get wiped out by 3 blind dogs, causing me to lose the outpost. I also loved attacking the the bandit base, using all of my ammo, healing items, food, grenades, and seriously degrading my armor and weapons, only to have the same said AI guys get killed by dogs, losing the outpost, making it impossible to capture the depot base. So I go back to the outpost, kill the dogs, recapture it, and now 20-someodd bandits just respawned up at the depot.

docodine 16th September 2008, 02:18

As long as you can still create an ocean of items by dumping out your entire storage chest at once, with 5spf, I'm sold.

stoff3r 16th September 2008, 05:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeenFan
Hello Bit-Tech. I registered specifically to let you know how much I appreciate the honest review. I've seen too many mainstream reviews ignore the bugs and crashes of CS and it's time for game developers (great and small) to face the music.

Last week, back when the GSC forums were working (ahem), I read a similar tale from someone who claimed to have been an artist for several AAA game titles. It was a very well-written and fair review, I felt. He spoke of "class-c" and "class-b" bugs and that because Clear Sky had even one single "class-a" bug (I assume this is the CTD or BSoD), that it was an utter disaster and that, clearly, there was no play-testing done.

It was because of this review that I canceled my Amazon preorder. Your review is independent verification although I've read plenty of similar experiences in the GSC and other forums. I've also seen the bizarre reactions similar to Lepermessiah's: that crashes are the fault of the reviewer for not making use of patches. I'm not sure how many foot-pounds of pressure the blow to their heads were to make them think the way they do, but I assume they're all receiving medical care. And good for them!

By the way, I absolutely LOVE the first Stalker game. I've said more than once that it is the best single-player PC game experience I've ever had. To those of you who've mentioned owning but not playing SHoC through...do yourselves a favor: patch it to 1.0004 or 1.0005 and install the Oblivion Lost 2.2 mod. You will not regret it. Rock solid, bugs removed, game enhanced in just about every way. I'm playing it through for the fourth or fifth time, I think? Out of the "love it or hate it" camp, I'm the director of the Love Camp, so you can imagine my heartbreak at hearing how abysmal these reviews are. Shouldn't we expect to get as great a gaming experience out of the box as we get after 5 patches and a squad of mods? I believe we should.

By the way x2, I'm an American supporting Barak Obama. Not all of us are bat-shit Mcrazy. However, assuming all of them show up to vote, can I stay at your place while I look for a job/residence in England? Or Australia? I've always wanted to go there too!

Thanks,
WeenFan

Thanks. If you were a girl and i were a guy, i mean.. anyway Oblivion Lost 2.2 should be mandatory for any pc-gamer. Stalker: SoC paired with O.L is the best fps experience I have ever had, and that is after completing SoC 3-4ish times!

So, moving on to Clear Sky was insanely terrible. Where did iron-sights for pistols go?? That alone breaks the game. Playing OL.2.2 until modders have their way with Clear Sky!

calranthe 17th September 2008, 06:04

This is a really bad review, I recieved this game on the 6th (uk release) Installed it on three house pc's
1)Q6600, dfi dk lanparty x38, asus xonar sound card, 4gb ocz ddr2, nvidia 260 gtx (cpu overclocked to 3.8 on water cooling)
Vista home premium 64bit
My gaming rig
2)Q6600, Asus p5-e. xifi platinum, Nvidia 9800gtx, 4gb ocz ddr2 (overclocked to 3.4ghz air)
Vista home premium 32bit
wifes gaming pc
3)e6400, Abit p35-e, on board sound, nvidia gts 8800 640mb, 4gb ocz ddr2 (overclocked on air to 3.2ghz)
windows xp pro
Media pc hooked up to 37" main lcd tv

Now, since release (on day of release first patch was available so installed)
One week later second patch released (yes game was buggy but its huge and from what I can tell they are fixing bugs far quicker than most big places.)
Now I played through it once and completed it the first time on my gaming rig in about 12 hours, I bypassed all side quests, game was running max detail at 1680*1050, I had one crash out of game but i'm not sure that was clear sky as i'd not rebooted my pc for 2 days.
Challenging and fun :)

Wife is still on her first play through, we have totally different play styles she hasto do every side quest, she has seen some glitches but nothing game breaking (she is on hour about 70 lol) 1440*900 max detail etc

Media pc seemed to handle it very well also even though the old nvidia gts is showing its age, looks beautiful on a 37" very atmospheric

I'm on my second detailed play through concentrating mainly on the faction wars and although yes I see glitches and issues nothing game breaking.

By definition I was able to complete the game so the label of unfinished game is clearly wrong.

Personally clear sky is a different creature to Stalker I loved the first and must have played it through over 30 times since I bought it, and thats not including all the mods for it. clear sky needs a fresh perspective, its more challenging, I find its better and more scary and you need to think.

Maybe we are just lucky, but i've talked to 4 friends who after I played it through first time they went out on my recommendation and bought it, none of them are having game breaking issues and lol for the past two days two of them have had there yahoo message set to "in the zone".

The company behind this game isn't the biggest or the best but what they have given us is a fps thats different from most of the linear garbage we see this day, with a game of this scope there will be bugs, activision had nasty bugs in mass effect it took them over a month to patch it, these guys have got out two patches in weeks and will continue too.

The bottom line is i'd recommend this game to anyone.

Mentai 17th September 2008, 12:40

I almost want this game just to find out if it will crash on my system lol

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

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