This has been bugging me for weeks. For some reason, our Bombsquad seems to believe the bullets-as-currency mechanics is no longer present in the sequel to Metro 2033 (first mentioned a while ago and then restated as fact on this week's Bombcast) - that's not true! I don't know where they got this from.

Here's an article from two days ago that confirms it, if there is still any doubt. It might be used a little different but it's still there.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a384023/metro-last-light-bullet-currency-system-to-return-made-clearer.html

So bullets are still your ammo AND your currency to trade it in for food, weapons or more ammo.

edit: June 15 Interview on Rock Paper Shotgun:

RPS: So, first off, what’s the deal with the bullet economy this time around? Is it in or out? I’ve heard mixed things.

Beynon: It’s in. I think we were still discussing exactly how we were going implement that last time and, you know, all options are still on the table. But there’s quite a vocal fan response, which may be guiding part of our thinking. It’s staying in, though.

The thing we’re already working on is how we communicate that system better to the player. Metro’s full of a lot of quite complex game mechanics, and I think if there’s one thing we didn’t do very well in the first game, it’s we didn’t actually introduce those mechanics or explain them particularly. It was kind of, concept, wall of text on the screen, this is how this works. Have you read it? Press H, continue. If you missed it, it could really color your impression of the whole game. We think we can introduce those mechanics, including the trading system, a little bit smarter this time.

But no, it’s really important, we can’t lose any of those mechanics. That’s kind of a philosophy that runs through the game. We have absolutely no intention of westernizing or dumbing down Metro whatsoever. As you saw from the demo, if anything we’re adding more stuff in there, whether it’s the mask wipe mechanic, which is a whole additional thing that the player has to be mindful of and consider when they’re playing. Or an expanded weapon set, secondary fire modes, or attachments you can put on your weapon, secondary weapons… We now have a new stealth melee from behind. We’re also experimenting with putting in the option to knock out rather than kill if you approach people from behind. Loads of extra stuff is going in there.

So yeah. A very long-winded way of saying that we’re keeping the bullet-trading in and it’s going to be much, much better this time around. We’re not cutting anything.

*preorders Metro: Last Light*

Thank you for setting the record straight. I was on the fence about playing Last Light if this mechanic was absent, now I'm back onboard!

I'm just going to steal this topic to ask a simple question: Is this game based on the Metro 2034 book or is it a story on it's own? Because I'm reading through 2034 now and don't know if I should pick this up later or not.

Also they still use bullets as currency in the book at least.

Thanks for the clarification.

As I recall, during a demo at E3 last year, they said that bullets weren't currency anymore. Either that changed or one of their PR guys did done mess'ed it up.

Any other form of currency would've been weird considering the source material. Maybe trading in delicacies like the VDNKh mushroom tea but why bother when they already have an established trend.

Well, they took their time clearing that up.

So, can I pre-order the game with bullets?

I still haven't finished Metro 2033. I have finished STALKER, though. I got the crappy ending by accident :(

Man I hope one of them pays attention to this thread.

So, can I pre-order the game with bullets?

This you spamming twitter?

Dennis F.‏defmedia85
@taswell patrickklepekjeffgerstmann hey guys, FYI: Bullets = currency is actually still a thing in Metro Last Light http://tiny.cc/ief6ew
Jeff Gerstmann‏jeffgerstmann
@defmedia85 Glad to hear it. Last time I heard the developers talk about it, they strongly suggested that it was getting cut.

I think, originally, when the game was announced they weren't going to have the bullets-as-currency mechanic for whatever reason. That's probably why the GB crew thought it wasn't going to be in there.

It's good to hear that it's still going to be in there though. I just hope they fix the shooting. I couldn't play through the first one because it was just sooooo bad.

@brownsfantb said:

I think, originally, when the game was announced they weren't going to have the bullets-as-currency mechanic for whatever reason. That's probably why the GB crew thought it wasn't going to be in there.

It's good to hear that it's still going to be in there though. I just hope they fix the shooting. I couldn't play through the first one because it was just sooooo bad.

it wasn't bad at all? Combat certainly wasn't the best part of the game but it played well enough.

@Animasta said:

@brownsfantb said:

I think, originally, when the game was announced they weren't going to have the bullets-as-currency mechanic for whatever reason. That's probably why the GB crew thought it wasn't going to be in there.

It's good to hear that it's still going to be in there though. I just hope they fix the shooting. I couldn't play through the first one because it was just sooooo bad.

it wasn't bad at all? Combat certainly wasn't the best part of the game but it played well enough.

It was rough at least. There was almost no feedback when you shot an enemy. It's hard to explain exactly what that means but when you play something like Gears of War, you know when your shooting the enemy and doing damage. In Metro, I had a hard time knowing if I had hit the enemy or just missed him and the shooting just was not fun at all. I get why people really liked the game, but I couldn't get past the shooting.

Thank the maker :D

Seems real dumb that people changed their opinion based on a bullet-based economy. I went through the first game barely worrying about that stuff, all you have to do is loot the dead guys and currency isn't a problem.

@brownsfantb: I think the ranger hardcore difficulty would fix that, but maybe it's just because I've played through the game 3 whole times and am not mindful of it's faults.

Unlike most announced game this year, the more I see of this game the more I want it.

Hnnnnngggg! Can't wait!

@alternate: Yup that was me spamming twitter :)

I felt since this was kind of an important part of the universe the game is set in they should know if their info may be outdated (the article I linked to is recent and their info might be from last year)

Hopefully the PR guys/devs just have their messaging wrong and weren't clear about the mechanic being still there but slightly changed.

@IAmNotBatman said:

Seems real dumb that people changed their opinion based on a bullet-based economy. I went through the first game barely worrying about that stuff, all you have to do is loot the dead guys and currency isn't a problem.

I had not money/ammo problem either but I was constantly afraid that I might! That's what I love about the idea, even on easy difficulty. "Will this be enough? Should I just use some of the military rounds to make this easier? Will there be harder enemies around the corner that I should save them for?" I never tried the harder difficulties but I think ammo would be much scarcer there.

The whole bullet currency thing didn't seem to have much effect in the game, but maybe that's because I played it on easy and just used the dirty rounds and saved the good ones as money. I hope the shooting will be better since it was just awful in the first game. The weapons were really cool, but it never felt like you were shooting something or someone. The bullets just seemed to go through enemies and you never really knew if you even hit them... It was a very strange and deeply unsatisfying feeling I got from the combat.

@Zaccheus: I thought it was very well done. Especially the dilemma if I should use the good bullets to make the most out of my weapon and give me an advantage or save them and try to survive some other way...

I'm glad that the system is back (Though it technically never left), and I hope they expand upon it.

@valrog: Yeah I think the easy difficulty was just really easy and I never needed any kind of advantage. I had like 600 bullets at all times and could just spray around as much as I wanted. I'm really glad that I played it on easy though, since otherwise I doubt I would have finished it. Like I said I really disliked the combat, but it was definitely worth going through for the atmosphere.

I don't know why people make such a big deal out of this.  It's not like it has a huge impact on the game.

@Zaccheus: I feel the same about that part where you had to shoot out of an armored vehicle on the tracks. It really frustrated me, but in the end it was worth it.

@Spoonman671 said:

I don't know why people make such a big deal out of this. It's not like it has a huge impact on the game.

Perhaps, but it's a small detail that makes you immerse into the world. Like holding the journal and providing light with the lighter, or changing filters on the gas mask... That stuff seems insignificant in the large scheme of things, but if you took it away, a large portion of immersion would be lost. At least that's the way I see it.

You mean the bombsquad stated as fact something that wasn't true? Thats a first.

June 15 Interview on Rock Paper Shotgun:

RPS: So, first off, what’s the deal with the bullet economy this time around? Is it in or out? I’ve heard mixed things.

Beynon: It’s in. I think we were still discussing exactly how we were going implement that last time and, you know, all options are still on the table. But there’s quite a vocal fan response, which may be guiding part of our thinking. It’s staying in, though.

The thing we’re already working on is how we communicate that system better to the player. Metro’s full of a lot of quite complex game mechanics, and I think if there’s one thing we didn’t do very well in the first game, it’s we didn’t actually introduce those mechanics or explain them particularly. It was kind of, concept, wall of text on the screen, this is how this works. Have you read it? Press H, continue. If you missed it, it could really color your impression of the whole game. We think we can introduce those mechanics, including the trading system, a little bit smarter this time.

But no, it’s really important, we can’t lose any of those mechanics. That’s kind of a philosophy that runs through the game. We have absolutely no intention of westernizing or dumbing down Metro whatsoever. As you saw from the demo, if anything we’re adding more stuff in there, whether it’s the mask wipe mechanic, which is a whole additional thing that the player has to be mindful of and consider when they’re playing. Or an expanded weapon set, secondary fire modes, or attachments you can put on your weapon, secondary weapons… We now have a new stealth melee from behind. We’re also experimenting with putting in the option to knock out rather than kill if you approach people from behind. Loads of extra stuff is going in there.

So yeah. A very long-winded way of saying that we’re keeping the bullet-trading in and it’s going to be much, much better this time around. We’re not cutting anything.

@alternate said:

This you spamming twitter?

Dennis F.‏defmedia85
@taswell patrickklepekjeffgerstmann hey guys, FYI: Bullets = currency is actually still a thing in Metro Last Light http://tiny.cc/ief6ew
Jeff Gerstmann‏jeffgerstmann
@defmedia85 Glad to hear it. Last time I heard the developers talk about it, they strongly suggested that it was getting cut.

That's not annoying and fanboyish or anything.

Also, I now have zero interest in this game.