S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl Update

Not much happening in the PC gaming world. So let’s take a look at a game that has been in development for 5 years. S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl was supposed to be released back in 2004. Game site reviewers were generally very positive about the graphics, but we are now entering the year 2007. Are they still good with all the new stuff having come out the last few years? S.T.A.L.K.E.R. : Shadow of Chernobyl is a FPS game taking place in (guess where) Ukraine. An interesting feature of this game is “A-LIFE”, which basically means machinations in the game outside scripted level events are completely random. The game features a very open-ended experience and promises over 60 hours of play time.

The answers aren’t as easily available. Sitting down with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. today is an interesting experience. Firstly, the game’s project lead Anton Bolshakov takes us through the much-publicised “A-Life” system. Read our interview with Anton . In a nutshell, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s machinations outside scripted level events are completely random. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s – you play one – are men who hunt for artefacts in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, then sell them in the outside world. The other two major human “factions” in the game are the military and rebels, the fourth “mobile” element being the Zone’s mutant population. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, militia, rebels and monsters roam between levels at will, constantly interacting with each other.

The armour equivalent of wearing your pants on the outside.
Anton enters a dev code and shows us a map of every living element in the game. He waves the hand of God and kills everything in one major area, then speeds up time. The level begins to fill with dots representing S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, soldiers, and so on, which migrate from other areas. Dropping into 3D, he flies around the level as the various elements begin to clash. Hulking wolves eat a corpse, a remnant of a firefight. In another area, rebels and soldiers shoot it out. Levels never stay empty for long, says Bolshakov, and the whole A-Life premise adds massively to the replayability factor, he claims. He starts talking about “smart terrain,” but we’re cut short. In essence, GSC’s ambition has been to create a living, breathing world to surround the overarching storyline. “Oblivion with guns” is a simplistic description, but you get the idea.

CLICK HERE to read the full article at EuroGamer.

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