I'm building a new pc, don't even ask for the specs of the computer I'm using right now, and I already own STALKER. I really cannot wait to start playing this, from a few videos I have watched of the gameplay it looks very atmospheric and scary in places. I only have two questions about it.

What mods should I download? (other than the complete mod, which I will be downloading!)

And, could I run it on high?

For the computer I've almost finished building, I'm going to have a 560ti 1024mb GPU, intel i5 3.3Ghz CPU and 8gb RAM (2 x 4gb) with Windows 7.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is my favorite game. I hope you enjoy it!  

yeah get complete, that's really all you need. I still prefer Call of Pripyat though! so get that after you finish with this.

@captain_max707 said:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is my favorite game. I hope you enjoy it!

I hope I do too!

It may sound funny, but I enjoyed the hour I played of it at 9 fps and all the in game characters looking like a pile of rectangles.

What mods should I download? (other than the complete mod, which I will be downloading!)

And, could I run it on high?

For the computer I've almost finished building, I'm going to have a 560ti 1024mb GPU, intel i5 3.3Ghz CPU and 8gb RAM (2 x 4gb) with Windows 7.

@Animasta: I have all of them :P

I think you should be able to run it on high. I can play Call of Pripyat on high easily and I don't even have as good of CPU as you. I think the entire series is fantastic so if you like this you should definitely try out the others.

You don't need anything other than the complete mod.

I hope you enjoy it. I tried really hard to like it, but it was way too frustrating for me.

@TEHMAXXORZ said:

@Animasta: I have all of them :P

good! after you complete it for the first time, the SGM mod for CoP is pretty amazing. Adds so much new content, new artifacts, etc...

I just rebooted it up again last week with the Complete mod. Love this game.

@TEHMAXXORZ: Welcome to one of the greatest FPS games ever! Also one of the best post apocalyptic ones as well. Great game, hope you enjoy it duder. A tip, don't run into 10 enemies, use cover, and shoot in short bursts.

I tried playing it a couple of times but always ended up getting my ass handed to me.

I tried playing it a couple of times but always ended up getting my ass handed to me.

Complete, NS, and Paradise Lost are the best. I might be forgetting a few, but those stand out.

Your computer will be fine, that's pretty much the same setup I have right now, but remember this game is optimized very...weirdly and bugs are all over this without mods and cleanup beforehand.

@Jrinswand: You start out with some really piss poor weapons, so you really have to be careful and strategize when facing enemies. It gets easier after the first couple of hours, once you get some better weapons and armor (in addition to getting used to the game of course).

By far one THE most atmospheric game I have ever played. It's quite a rewarding experience if you stick with it.

@Unknown_Pleasures said:

I tried playing it a couple of times but always ended up getting my ass handed to me.

Yeah, this is why I didn't like it. Even facing a couple of guys at a time in some spots, it's impossible not to die. I don't see how other people do it.

My guess is that you take the corridor shooter approach of aiming down and expecting the enemy to drop dead. In stalker your guns are weak, they have high recoil and bullet deviation, you have to aim tight, shoot straight and in bursts, and expect your enemies to be well armored (or the beasts to have rough skin.)   They don't pop up behind boxes, they sneak and they flank, they run away and lunge back at you, so you need to be quick and alert, to place as many headshots as you can, and to quickly heal yourself and reload your weapons. Once you realize that you are vulnerable and weak, simply a human, you become unstoppable.

@AhmadMetallic said:

My guess is that you take the corridor shooter approach of aiming down and expecting the enemy to drop dead. In stalker your guns are weak, they have high recoil and bullet deviation, you have to aim tight, shoot straight and in bursts, and expect your enemies to be well armored (or the beasts to have rough skin.)   They don't pop up behind boxes, they sneak and they flank, they run away and lunge back at you, so you need to be quick and alert, to place as many headshots as you can, and to quickly heal yourself and reload your weapons. Once you realize that you are vulnerable and weak, simply a human, you become unstoppable.

It wasn't that I went in guns blazing, it was that I would sneak around and as soon as I would be found out (which I inevitably always was), it would only take a few bullets to down me. The guy was just so weak that it made dying over and over again in the same spots not fun at all.

I played it unmodded and it was fine. With mods it's a gorgeous game.  Just be prepared to die randomly a lot. Like flash anomalies ripping you apart and whatnot. You can run it on any modern machine at this point. I ran it on medium with a complete mod on a computer (now 6 years old) that had a Pentium D 2.9Ghz processor, 1 gig of RAM and a Radeon X1950 Pro and it worked like a charm until my video card crapped out.
 
GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.  GET OUT OF HERE STALKER. 
 
I need to play some Clear Sky. Finished SoC but haven't had time to play the others. That will change this summer.

Then lower the difficulty :)

@Ben_H: I would skip clear sky but that's just me...

Played them all. They are great games but very buggy. I never finished the latest one, I do want to try and get through that one (Call of Pipryat or whatever its called).

@Jrinswand: Every guy you kill drops like half a dozen bandages and a medkit don't be shy about using them. Use semi-auto fire and only shoot heads. The AI is pretty dopey so you can overcome any situation with patience and bandages, especially since you have shitty guns until you get to the bar.

i'm playing for 23 hours now without complete mod and didn't face any bug or glitch except the super inacurate guns though i'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature