S.T.A.L.K.E.R. graphical overhaul recommendations

I was thinking about trying out the Stalker series again; I never really got into them despite being right up my alley of interests.

Does someone have recommendations on a graphical overhaul package that doesn't change vanilla gameplay drastically? And doesn't introduce excessive bugs? I took a look via Google recently but the availability of 2-3 (or more) of these packages was somewhat confusing for a person with little prior experience with the game for context.

Here you go.
Hope it's what you're looking for.

Yeah, that's one of the few I spotted through Google. Have you tried that one out, enodenroH? I'm looking for something that's stable and doesn't overly affect vanilla gameplay.

From what I recall, Stalker Complete makes very few changes to the gameplay, and the changes it does make fit in naturally.

JonNik is the local expert on the Stalker series and its mods. He'll be here as soon as he sees the thread title.

I've been wanting to get this game, but I keep forgetting about it. What do you guys think about it? Does it live up to the pre-release hype?

Fwiw I ran into a game stopping bug with complete 2009

JDR13 said:

From what I recall, Stalker Complete makes very few changes to the gameplay, and the changes it does make fit in naturally.

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What he said (mainly atmosphere and graphical tweaks)

I have heard about game stopping bugs too for the Complete mods but I have never encountered them myself on several replays(and do not play the games without them). You always have to take that chance with complete overhauls like this. You could get a very decent looking game with a mix of mods you could do yourself I imagine but frankly I never bothered...

DarNoor said:

I've been wanting to get this game, but I keep forgetting about it. What do you guys think about it? Does it live up to the pre-release hype?

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I think Shadows of Chernobyl is phenomenal if you like atmopheric shooters. It's also one of the few first-person shooters that has as much freedom as it does. The only negative thing about the series is how buggy they are. Most of the bugs are fixed with the Complete mod though, and there are also other unofficial patches/mods for bugs.

Kostas said:

Fwiw I ran into a game stopping bug with complete 2009

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It can't be any worse than the gazillion bugs in the vanilla version.

I've played all three STALKER games; really got into them when my post-apocalyptic itch was at its most intense, to which they served very well indeed.

I've also used the Complete mods for both Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat and can recommend them in particular for both atmospheric and audio enhancements.

In Shadows of Chernobyl, I especially recall that making my way through Pripyat towards the end was much more intense and bleak simply due to the nature of the much more sinister ambient audio.

Also, the weather storm anomalies in Call of Pripyat have quite a powerful sense of awe to them when they occur and actually induce some strong reactions when you're in the open. However, there are some unusual zombie oriented game-play additions from memory which could be grating and throw one out of the regular setting/canon, but these options can easily be disabled.

Ironically, I'm yet to try the Complete mod for arguably the buggiest of the three games (at least in my experience) Clear Sky. This thread has definitely reminded me of that fact and subsequently raised its status as such in my backlog. Thanks and all the best in your modding choices.

IIRC biggest gameplay change in complete edition was improved AI.Enemies are actively trying to flank you, and they use cover and grenades well.It makes complete edition lot more challenging in some areas.

Its also little things like adding a bedroll in SoC where it wasn't default etc. Minor and always enhancing.

For CoP in the Emmisions described above you could choose the fate of NPCs that were caught outside of shelter. I always choose Zombie for an extra dose of Madness and mayhem after the lightshow (that is a bit less minor but fun and optional )

I love those games to death as JDR implied above and you might have surmised and was mostly in it for the Atmosphere and sandbox experience. Now, who wants to take my money and make me #2 ?

P.S Another replay is definitely in the books probably next year though. Hmm I'll declare 2015 the year of creepy and play exclusively Dark Souls games interspaced with Stalkers!
Awesome! (Nah I am kidding… I'll definitely throw the Gothics and the Witchers in there too )

Drithius said:

Does someone have recommendations on a graphical overhaul package…

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The Complete mods are the only thing you really need to enjoy the series ; that's a must have, a great visual overhaul that doesn't change the gameplay in depth but refines it in many beneficial ways. It's really easy to install and changes the appearance of the games tremendously.
I would also recommend a mod manager like Smart mod manager and only one of the mods that improve your weapons, like Realistic weapons Add-on. All that on top of the official patches when required.

Drithius said:

Yeah, that's one of the few I spotted through Google. Have you tried that one out, enodenroH? I'm looking for something that's stable and doesn't overly affect vanilla gameplay.

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Hello Drithius.

Unfortunately, I have not tried it. I'm saving it for later though.

I've been hanging out at Reddit and have found a link that might interest you if you have the time to look around. Maybe there is something there that might catch your eye. See the sub-reddit at /r/stalker.

There is a mod that seems quite nice but might not be what you're looking for :

Autumn Aurora 2.

Opinons on Complete 2009 and AA2.

There's also S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OBLIVION LOST 2.2.

"Top 5 Mods".

Well, that's enough for now. I'll let you do some homework.

JDR13 said:

It can't be any worse than the gazillion bugs in the vanilla version.

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Probably, but then again that's the first thing you expect to have been dealt with by overhaul mods. Wonder what happened to complete 2012.

Nice list, enodenroH! Zone Reclamation Project is another one of the mods I had googled. Seems like a good mod but not sure about using it for first real playthrough. Looking like I'll be using 2009 in conjunction with the game after I finish up my M&M Legacy game.

Drithius said:

Nice list, enodenroH! Zone Reclamation Project is another one of the mods I had googled. Seems like a good mod but not sure about using it for first real playthrough. Looking like I'll be using 2009 in conjunction with the game after I finish up my M&M Legacy game.

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Thanks.

I have another one that's exclusively a graphics overhaul. Enjoy!

Absolute Texture Pack.

So… have yet to play it… but getting the urge with both Grimrock and Fallout losing their luster.

Wanderer mentioned it, but has anyone played using Autumn Aurora? How does it compare to Vanilla? I've read quite few reports of people liking it over the other overhauls (such as Complete).

The second version of the Autumn Aurora brings the autumnal atmosphere to the Zone and totally overhauls the graphics, sound and gameplay of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl. The mod is built on the newest Zone Reclamation Project's core, it contains official AtmosFear for ShoC which has never been released before. AtmosFear has been extensively redesigned to match the autumn style.

It also holds an official new Absolute Nature for ShoC (never released as standalone as well) with new tree models from AN3 CoP and some new ones.

Graphic/sound improvements:

• New tree models / textures (Absolute Nature). Each level was edited to add more and new foliage.
• New weather system (special edition of AtmosFear for Autumn Aurora 2).
• Lots of new sounds of environment, weapons, items as well as level-specific sounds and actor voice.
• Environment sounds are dependent on weather type and time of day. Moreover, each weather type boasts totally different and unique sounds.
• Lots of new edited textures.
• New music.

Gameplay:

• Some new weapons (with unique NPC's and as rewards for quests) and items (not many, maybe 10).
• Artifacts detectable only by means of detectors (Echo, Bear and Veles. Each detector has distinct characteristics). Read more about it here: Moddb.com
• Two modes of repair (traders as well as outfit and weapon repair kits).
• Sleeping possible in designated areas (like in CoP).
• New UI/HUD (CoP-based).
• Hand texture adjusts to the suit you're wearing (like in CoP).
• HUD and breating sounds are mask-dependent.
• Random stashes.
• New screen effects when irradiated, on low health and out of breath (low stamina).
• Applying medkits, eating or using repair kits takes time.
• New recoil effects.
• New nightvision devices.
• New postprocess effects for anomalies, radiation etc.
• Some artifact models are CoP-based, and some are new.
• Stalkers will carry Russian weapons for the most part. U.S. weapons like LR300 or M16 have been assigned to one faction only and they will be almost a rarity. If you happen to own LR300 or M16, you will have a serious advantage over your adversaries.
• This applies to exoskeletons or SEVA suits as well - they are finally very exotic and expensive items, but will definetely be worth their price.
• The game itself will be more difficult, but well-balanced to avoid being unfair.
• Some bugfixes like empty stashes and non-disappearing mission markers.

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With a couple reversions of the low health/stamina visuals, I think this might be exactly what I was looking for - I'm just hesitant about just how more difficult it makes the game.