You could tell that Stalker 2 was a true sequel to 2007's survivalist FPS in that it was as broken as it was brilliant. GSC Game World succeeded in delivering the seamless open world it has spent two decades striving toward, but players' exploration of Chornobyl's exclusion zone was hindered by bugs, broken quests, and more performance issues than a drunk orchestra.
The sequel has received numerous massive patches already, but the biggest and—hopefully—best is yet to come. With the imminent arrival of the shooter's first story expansion, GSC has detailed the enormous 2.0 patch that will accompany the DLC.
Named 'Back to the Zone', the 2.0 update will bring both a visual and mechanical refresh to Stalker 2 upon its release next week, as detailed by GSC in an article on its website. The headline change is an overhaul to the Zone's lighting, which GSC says it has altered to provide more varied conditions:
"The sun still shines brightly outside, but now it plays differently across the environment on the ground—shadows and reflections included," GSC writers. Indoor lighting has also been changed to make it "more realistic", while the landscape and vegetation has apparently been reworked for a more natural look.
Arguably more significant, though, are the changes GSC has made to A-Life—the system that governs the behaviour of the mutants and rival Stalkers that prowl the Zone. Again, the focus appears to be on improving the Zone's atmosphere, making it more of an immersive space and less of a warzone.
"The Zone isn't one constant gunfight. It's a lonely place where life carries on by its own rules," GSC explains. "Every encounter or firefight is the result of stalkers and mutants simply doing stalker and mutant things."
Specific changes include giving creatures more places to be like campfires, bus stops etc, and increasing conflicts around those spots. GSC has also fixed some of the more immersion-breaking glitches experienced in the sequel, like enemies shooting through walls.
Other additions coming with the patch include a custom difficulty where you adjust parameters like combat difficulty, anomalies, and the in-game economy, new weapons and scopes, dynamic fog that you can use to your tactical advantage, and binoculars—which are pretty useful to have in a game like Stalker.
Back to the Zone will be released on August 20, launching in tandem with the expansion 'Cost of Hope'. This DLC—one of two GSC has planned—revolves around the series' authoritarian 'Duty' faction and will see players learn what secrets lie hidden in the centre of the Zone. While I'm up for further story adventures in Stalker 2, a smoother ride in the base game is easily what I'm most excited about.
