Well this came up in my 'feed' and as STALKER is on my list of all time
classic games I thought I'd take a peek. The first thing that struck me
was why is a game available for pre-order when its release date is
December 2023. Who do they think is going to pre-order now not really
knowing what they're are actually going to get especially as the
Ultimate edition is £95.

The next ones are possibly me just being jaded with the games industry
as a whole. So depending on which bundle you buy you can get an
additional story and two future story expansions. I really hoping this
isn't going to be a case of develop one game, cut it up into pieces and
then sell them individually.

The second, multiplayer and skins. This is one that I have most concerns
about as it smacks of the focus won't be on the single player experience
but instead flogging you things in MP.

Now I hope that this is just me being cynical but I really don't want to
see this franchise ruined.

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:53:14 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Well this came up in my 'feed' and as STALKER is on my list of all time
>classic games I thought I'd take a peek. The first thing that struck me
>was why is a game available for pre-order when its release date is
>December 2023. Who do they think is going to pre-order now not really
>knowing what they're are actually going to get especially as the
>Ultimate edition is £95.

Well, STALKER 2 has been in development for a while, and its release
date has slipped numerous times. Maybe they started selling pre-orders
back when they thought the game was going to come out in 2021 and just
never took them down even as the release date kept getting pushed
further and further back? Why turn away free money from rubes^h^h^h^h
loyal customers? ;-)

>The next ones are possibly me just being jaded with the games industry
>as a whole. So depending on which bundle you buy you can get an
>additional story and two future story expansions. I really hoping this
>isn't going to be a case of develop one game, cut it up into pieces and
>then sell them individually.

>The second, multiplayer and skins. This is one that I have most concerns
>about as it smacks of the focus won't be on the single player experience
>but instead flogging you things in MP.

Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras - like
bonus custumes - for free (usually unlocked by completing challenges
or the game)? Pepperidge farm remembers...

>Now I hope that this is just me being cynical but I really don't want to
>see this franchise ruined.

I was never the most ardent fan of the series. I enjoyed it - the
third game the most - but considered it a flawed product that never
quite earned the praise it garnered. Its weird AI, the wonky
animations, the poor localizations, the uneven game balance and
pacing, the world broken up into disparate maps... the STALKER series
had vision and creativity, but not the necessary polish to make it an
entirely enjoyable game.

Given this foundation, and STALKER 2's trouble development, I'm not
sure that it will be microtransactions that will be the game's biggest
problems.

Either way, I'm not going to bother with a pre-order. The game will be
out when its out, and if it's any good, then I'll consider laying down
money for the game. Until then, there's enough to keep me busy.

On 6/15/2022 8:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras

like a completed game?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:18:00 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>On 6/15/2022 8:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras
>
>like a completed game?

*--

hehe. man, those were the days my friend, ....

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:44:56 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:18:00 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
><dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>On 6/15/2022 8:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras

>>like a completed game?

>hehe. man, those were the days my friend, ....

Now, let's be fair. A lot of games 'back in the day' were released in
unfinished states too. It's just that -between the immaturity of the
industry and the lack of easy communications between gamers- a lot of
those problems went unnoticed or uncommented on. But there were
numerous big-name projects led by triple-A studios (e.g., Sierra
Online's infamouse "Outpost" space-strategy game) that were put out
onto market long before they were complete.

Of course, back then it was mostly an issue of poor project management
or a lack of resources; nowadays an unfinished product being sold to
customers is often part of the business plan. So maybe you have a
point ;-)

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 20:26:22 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:44:56 -0600, PW
><iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:18:00 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
>><dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>>On 6/15/2022 8:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
>>>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras
>
>>>like a completed game?
>
>>hehe. man, those were the days my friend, ....
>
>Now, let's be fair. A lot of games 'back in the day' were released in
>unfinished states too. It's just that -between the immaturity of the
>industry and the lack of easy communications between gamers- a lot of
>those problems went unnoticed or uncommented on. But there were
>numerous big-name projects led by triple-A studios (e.g., Sierra
>Online's infamouse "Outpost" space-strategy game) that were put out
>onto market long before they were complete.
>
>Of course, back then it was mostly an issue of poor project management
>or a lack of resources; nowadays an unfinished product being sold to
>customers is often part of the business plan. So maybe you have a
>point ;-)
>

*--

I added it to keep my other Dagerfall games company. But didn't
install it. Wait, maybe I don't have any others. Oh yes, Elder
Scrolls series.

It reminds me of Blood Fresh Supply which I have played off and on. It
is very retro looking like this one and pretty fun.

-pw

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 21:57:46 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 20:26:22 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:44:56 -0600, PW
>><iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>>>On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:18:00 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
>>><dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>>>On 6/15/2022 8:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>>>>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras
>>
>>>>like a completed game?
>>
>>>hehe. man, those were the days my friend, ....
>>
>>Now, let's be fair. A lot of games 'back in the day' were released in
>>unfinished states too. It's just that -between the immaturity of the
>>industry and the lack of easy communications between gamers- a lot of
>>those problems went unnoticed or uncommented on. But there were
>>numerous big-name projects led by triple-A studios (e.g., Sierra
>>Online's infamouse "Outpost" space-strategy game) that were put out
>>onto market long before they were complete.
>>
>>Of course, back then it was mostly an issue of poor project management
>>or a lack of resources; nowadays an unfinished product being sold to
>>customers is often part of the business plan. So maybe you have a
>>point ;-)
>>
>
>
>*--
>
>I added it to keep my other Dagerfall games company. But didn't
>install it. Wait, maybe I don't have any others. Oh yes, Elder
>Scrolls series.
>
>It reminds me of Blood Fresh Supply which I have played off and on. It
>is very retro looking like this one and pretty fun.
>
>-pw

*---

Nevermind. Please move this reply Spalls to your Free Game Daggerfall
Unity thread, will ya please? :-)

-pw

On 15/06/2022 16:15, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:53:14 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> Well this came up in my 'feed' and as STALKER is on my list of all time
>> classic games I thought I'd take a peek. The first thing that struck me
>> was why is a game available for pre-order when its release date is
>> December 2023. Who do they think is going to pre-order now not really
>> knowing what they're are actually going to get especially as the
>> Ultimate edition is £95.
>
> Well, STALKER 2 has been in development for a while, and its release
> date has slipped numerous times. Maybe they started selling pre-orders
> back when they thought the game was going to come out in 2021 and just
> never took them down even as the release date kept getting pushed
> further and further back? Why turn away free money from rubes^h^h^h^h
> loyal customers? ;-)
>

Well I've decided to give them a little bit of slack as I knew they were
based in eastern Europe but never realised just where.

>> The next ones are possibly me just being jaded with the games industry
>> as a whole. So depending on which bundle you buy you can get an
>> additional story and two future story expansions. I really hoping this
>> isn't going to be a case of develop one game, cut it up into pieces and
>> then sell them individually.
>
>> The second, multiplayer and skins. This is one that I have most concerns
>> about as it smacks of the focus won't be on the single player experience
>> but instead flogging you things in MP.
>
> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras - like
> bonus custumes - for free (usually unlocked by completing challenges
> or the game)? Pepperidge farm remembers...
>

First up, Pepperidge farm - I googled it but that's a reference that
still goes over my head!

Back to the subject at hand, I did check my STALKER Collector's
Radiation Edition and that did have a couple of maps and skins for MP
and I didn't even remember it had MP! The reason I got that version
though it was pretty much the same price as the normal version.

>> Now I hope that this is just me being cynical but I really don't want to
>> see this franchise ruined.
>
> I was never the most ardent fan of the series. I enjoyed it - the
> third game the most - but considered it a flawed product that never
> quite earned the praise it garnered. Its weird AI, the wonky
> animations, the poor localizations, the uneven game balance and
> pacing, the world broken up into disparate maps... the STALKER series
> had vision and creativity, but not the necessary polish to make it an
> entirely enjoyable game.
>

For all of its flaws (and on release that was many) it still put it my
classics list as it took the FPS genre in a direction that I wanted it
to go with a more lived in world and that you had to do a bit more than
just rush in a shoot everything. It's also one of the reasons HL:1 gets
on my classics list.

Unfortunately that didn't last long and we ended up with Call Of
Battlefield Cry XXIII instead.

The different maps, I assume that was due to hardware limitations but I
found they were big enough that it wasn't too jarring for overall
experience. The rail-yard crossing point though, so I have to fight
those bandits again.

> Given this foundation, and STALKER 2's trouble development, I'm not
> sure that it will be microtransactions that will be the game's biggest
> problems.
>
> Either way, I'm not going to bother with a pre-order. The game will be
> out when its out, and if it's any good, then I'll consider laying down
> money for the game. Until then, there's enough to keep me busy.
>

Pre-orders now seem a bit of a waste of time to me as it's not as though
you can't just hop on Steam and download it when the reviews are out.

On 6/16/2022 2:48 AM, JAB wrote:
> On 15/06/2022 16:15, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras - like
>> bonus custumes - for free (usually unlocked by completing challenges
>> or the game)? Pepperidge farm remembers...
>>
>
> First up, Pepperidge farm - I googled it but that's a reference that
> still goes over my head!
>
I suspect that the company at some point did an ad campaign about how
they remembered how good the old days were and made cookies that way.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Thu, 16 Jun 2022 07:22:34 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>On 6/16/2022 2:48 AM, JAB wrote:
>> On 15/06/2022 16:15, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>>> Remember when you'd buy a game and get all these little extras - like
>>> bonus custumes - for free (usually unlocked by completing challenges
>>> or the game)? Pepperidge farm remembers...

>> First up, Pepperidge farm - I googled it but that's a reference that
>> still goes over my head!

>I suspect that the company at some point did an ad campaign about how
>they remembered how good the old days were and made cookies that way.

Oh, is that its origins? I heard it from some TV show (the Simpsons
maybe) and it just stuck in my head.

It's hard going through life with a sticky head...

But back to the topic at hand:

I don't want to 'diss' too much on STALKER; it was a fun game and - as
I said - it had a lot of good ideas. Its ambition alone may merit it a
place as one of the classics. But its often held up as a flawless
masterpiece, and the game was anything but. As such, the idea that
STALKER 2 will automatically be a great game is something I look at
with great suspicion, especially given the sequels rocky development.
It may be great; I'd be thrilled if it were great. But I think it
could just as easily be terrible.

As such, I can't recommend investing oneself into the game until it
actually releases. Especially since the original isn't a game that
really demanded a sequel, and other games have taken up the mantle and
offered similar takes on the formula it created. So, if it comes out
and it's an awesome game, that's wonderful. But if it never comes out,
that's okay too.

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>I suspect that the company at some point did an ad campaign about how
>they remembered how good the old days were and made cookies that way.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>Oh, is that its origins? I heard it from some TV show (the Simpsons
>maybe) and it just stuck in my head.

Family Guy, but yah, they were doing a parody of the old Pepperidge
Farm Remembers commercials, where they had an old guy blackmailing the
audience with "Pepperidge Farm *remembers*".

--
l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
db //

On 16/06/2022 16:20, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> But back to the topic at hand:
>
> I don't want to 'diss' too much on STALKER; it was a fun game and - as
> I said - it had a lot of good ideas. Its ambition alone may merit it a
> place as one of the classics. But its often held up as a flawless
> masterpiece, and the game was anything but. As such, the idea that
> STALKER 2 will automatically be a great game is something I look at
> with great suspicion, especially given the sequels rocky development.
> It may be great; I'd be thrilled if it were great. But I think it
> could just as easily be terrible.
>

Well the easy one, anyone who held it up as a flawless master piece
can't have played it.

> As such, I can't recommend investing oneself into the game until it
> actually releases. Especially since the original isn't a game that
> really demanded a sequel, and other games have taken up the mantle and
> offered similar takes on the formula it created. So, if it comes out
> and it's an awesome game, that's wonderful. But if it never comes out,
> that's okay too.
>

Does it need a sequel, absolutely not but I did like the setting*
combined with a more desolate but open world. I still remember how much
fun it was just wandering off to a part of the map to see what I could find.

Will it be a good game, possibly but my expectation is that it will take
in too much of the modern game experience for my tastes.

*I have played a couple of the Metro games and although I like them they
just don't have that feeling of being in a barren wasteland. Not that's
the game's fault as it's clear that's not what they were going for.