Thank you
Getting it now.
Don't get much time to play these days but Stalker was the last game I played awhile back. Took me months on and off to finish but really enjoyed it.
After CS, would it be then best to do the complete mod for COP?
What other mods have you found that are also definitely worth playing?
Yes, I would use the Complete mod for COP, too.
The mods, aside from the Complete ones, which I can remember that stood out for me are (you'll find these on the moddb website) :
SOC - Oblivion Lost; Stalkersoup; Lurk; Autumn Aurora (I think).
Oblivion Lost (whatever the version), makes changes to the game play with some graphical improvements as well. It's quite a stable mod imo, and many people that have found the combat not what they were hoping for (re : realism / hit boxes), would more likely prefer this.
Stalkersoup is a great, great mod with a very ambitious direction. It may well be the biggest mod I've ever installed, irrespective of any game title. However, for many (including myself) it has been very buggy, so for the time being I'll wait for a new update. The re-play value is insane (as the world is being expanded / numerous new missions, etc), and as with Oblivion Lost, there are substantial visual improvements over the vanilla game. Despite the problems, imo this is the best mod I've played for SOC.
I know I enjoyed Lurk a lot, though I can't remember much about it, which doesn't add up.
The same goes for Autumn Aurora (I played that eons ago). Iirc, I pefered Lurk 0.9 over 1.1 - simply for the graphical style in keeping with a traditional Stalkeresque theme. I don't know when version 1.2 is due for release, but I don't think it'll be too far down the line.
CS - I've yet to play a particularly good mod apart from 'Complete' (simply because there didn't seem to be that many in comparison to the other two games), though I think some praise should be given to Faction Fronts. The mods for CS seems to be increasing now, so I'll turn more attention to this one a little more in the future. I think modders have found COP the most stable for development, so that's why you might not find quite so many for CS. Also, I've read quite often that CS has tended to be regarded as the least favourite of the three games, though I found them all pretty much as good as each other (when comparing vanilla). In fact, in terms of visuals, I would say CS offers the best graphics (pre-mod), though without a doubt, I would still go for the Complete mod. The lighting at the Clear Sky base, in particular, is stunning.
COP - Misery; SGM 2.1 / 2.2; The Way To Pripyat.
Misery, like Stalkersoup, is a very unforgiving mod (the zombies are a nightmare), and is angled towards realism even more so than Stalkersoup. It's generally not a good mod for a first time player, though at the end of the day it's only my opinion. Graphically, it is thee best looking Stalker mod I've played bar none, and unlike Stalkersoup, I found it rock solid stable. I should note that Misery was the most cpu intensive mod I've tried (I'm still on an ageing Q6600
). Btw - Misery version 2.0 isn't too far off being released.
SGM mods - I've only tinkered with these, but it is one on my 'to do' list for sure. The 2.2 was less stable iirc than the 2.1 version, though there may be an update by now. SGM offers great replayability, like Misery / Stalkersoup / Oblivion Lost, and is one I would highly recommend. One of the more balanced mods out there.
The Way To Pripyat (currently playing) - as per the basic description I wrote a few posts back.
A good number of the mods mentioned also allow free play when the main quest is finished.
Oh, another one to look out for is Lost Alpha (due for release this month iirc) :
http://www.moddb.com/mods/lost-alpha
A useful site to bear in mind :
http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums
Also, for the best Stalker playthrough videos, check out this dude's channel :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiteqlwHX8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyJAzr9bYn0
Any questions, feel free to ask.
