Reactorside Picnic (Let's Play: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat)

[GolemsVoice]

It is dark down here. You are likely to be eaten by a Bloodsucker. Anyway: Next part coming soon. And not the Blizzard soon.

[Archonic Energy]

still waiting.

also money is becoming a problem... surely 400000 is a bit much to be carrying around in your pocket!

[GolemsVoice]

Sorry to ahve kept you waiting. Work and RL is currently keeping me from playing much, and then Photobucket decided to make Bandwidth trouble, but finally, here I am!

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Time to make some more money! Artifact hunting, again.

Hmm, expensive! I bet Beard is looking for some of those.

But YOU'RE not getting any of it!

Hmm, on my way back to another anomaly site, I came upon this. Stalker playground, eh? I bet there's something hidden here.

Something that is not a mutant dog. Seriously, those beasts are far too quick for their own good, and far too aggressive.

And indeed, a little searching paid off. Sadly, only a few rounds of ammo and an AK. Well, Hawaiian still buys them.

More artifacts!

Somehow, this seems not... right. Goddamn birds. God, I love this picture, it's just the right combination. Sadly, you can't hear their cries, that would make it perfect.
Fighting some hamsters, and the biggest pack of dogs I've encountered so far, I happen across this underground tunnel. Hmm, let's go exploring, I've got this tingling in my spine that says treasure! Well, that or "you're going to die horribly and no one will ever find your corpse". Something tells me that those two things lie close together here in the Zone.

Hallway. Wait, let me check my PDA. A-ha! I knew there was a way to get there!

That's below the place where I wrestled the Chimera.

Another tunnel, another hallway. Time to go on....
...
Wait. ANOTHER hallway? This can't be...
...oh god. It's not another hallway, it's THE SAME! What on earth is happening here? Why can't I go on? Damn this Zone!
And what's that?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_c4jhpE8dbs0/S5...jupiter%29.jpg

Screw! Screw THIS.

It passes without anything happening. Hm. Detector?
Nothing.
I know I shouldn't but this whole mess somehow looks like teleportation technology. I know that would I say this in any other place ("Dude, I just happened across an abandoned Sovjet research facility, and guess what, they had teleportation since the early eighties.") I would probably put myself into an asylum, but here.... god, this is crazy! Let's DO IT!

That certainly felt... like nothing at all. Because that's what happened. Nothing. I nearly DIED of fright when I jumped!
Waiiiit. I get it. A riddle! A strange sort of anomaly. There are several of these "gates" here... hm, let's try this.

*After having run through all portals without success, our intrepid hero resorts to blind experimentation*
Whoa. So you must run through all portals and then TURN AROUND. What the heck? Let's see where I've wandered. What was I thinking turning my back to an unexplor... whoah! Whoah WHOAH!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! That must be the Oasis! Strike! Degtyarev, you are a genius! Let's see what it can do!

What beautyful place amon the concrete ruins. This must be the hear of the Oasis that people talk about. The scientists will surely want to see this!

Just take care of the guardian here. And climb out again. I still can't believe this. What wondrous place this Zone is, really. What strange, strange place.

A fellow Stalker said he'd seen a bunch of strange guys near the old container warehouse. When I checked, however, they turned out to be Monolith soldiers! Or, at least, a very convincing imitation, as they didn't seem to fly into religious rage when I approached them.
Instead, they told me about how the Monolith had called to them, and how, after the events that this Strelok set in motion, they found themselves without memory of anything between the initial call and the collapse of the Monolith, or whatever happened there. Now they are wandering aimless, afraid that their past deeds will turn them to mincemeat should they come near any other Stalker. Can't really blame them, though, as far as I know, NO ONE likes Monolith troops. And that's saying something in the Zone.
Still, I agreed to be their voice.

I decided to tell Loki about them, since no one would bother them once they wear Freedom suits, and I relly don't think Duty is the thing for them. Duty has it's own problems at the moment (heh) and I don't want to thrust them in that.

A few inspiring words later, Freedom is their new home, and the faction thanks me with one of their suits. Thanks!
Strider, the leader of the ex-Monolith people even agrees to go with me to Pripyat. That makes five of us! Very good!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_c4jhpE8dbs0/S5...jupiter%29.jpg
It also nets me the achievement "Leader", meaning that my team now has higher chances of survival thanks to my inspiring display of vodka drinking. dedication.

Returning to Beard and dropping a truckload of artifacts on him, he tells me that word of my riches have spread, and that many merchants have decided to make their most valuable goods available to me, knowing that I have the money to buy them! Yeah!

That's it for now. I will now go on a one-week trip to London, and when I return, there will be more! Thanks for your patience and your constant input!

[Archonic Energy]

That's it for now. I will now go on a one-week trip to London

....

damn, the've found me...

*hides under a tree*

[GolemsVoice]

Ah, a Londoner? I just want to thank you!

[Flickerdart]

Man, I might just pick that game up, the achievement thing sounds really nice. The first game didn't really encourage exploration, either; stashes would be empty until you got data for them from a corpse.

[GolemsVoice]

I definitely recommend this game. I'd see it as a success if my LP made other people want to play this game. And I say again, do!

[GolemsVoice]

Addicted to Stalking

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There was only one last thing to do before heading to Pripyat, and that's finding Kardan's second friend, Joker. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue where to find him, so I'll just have to look around.
But first, something else. Ever since I got the coordinates, the stash under the pipeline bothered me. I could never reach it! So, maybe it's on TOP of the pipeline?

Dummdidummdumm *whistle* Hello down there! Nice evening, isn't it?

But unfortunately, it doesn't go any further. Damn!

Let's get back to the original mission.
Uhhh, look at that!

Looks like that's Joker. His PDA tells of how he went here to get an artifact that he says is ON TOP of this tree-thingy. Apparently, the dogs got him. I feel sorry for him, but I won't let his insight go to waste.

Look at that!

But I was really expecting something more unique. Meh. Will still fetch a decent price.

It's not easy to see here, but, if left undisturbed, dogs will begin to eat the dead flesh and boars, and even drag them around. Of course I don't leave them undsiturbed, he he

Back at the Skadowsk, I ask Nimble about the weapon. He swears he'd never sell stolen goods, and asks me to talk to Snag for him.
Asking around, most of the folks on the Skadowsk seem to have the same opinion as Nimble, and think highly of him.
Snag, it seems, doesn't, as he has removed himself from the scene. Sucker.

Sultan, somewhat hampered leader of the bandits, tells me that he has seen Snag near the docks. Amazingly helpful, isn't he?

But before I go out to get him, I tell Kardan the sad news. He doesn't take it very well, but still better than I feared.

Snag isn't there, but some other guys, dressed surprisingly like bandits. The little voice in my head tells me this is a thing that begins with T and ends with RAP.
As I approach the leader, he asks me if I am a friend of Snag's. I confirm, and he tells me that Snag has told them I would be bringing an exceptionally fine gun as loot. If this is a joke, I am amused, good job. If this isn't, oh boy, than I can SHOW you the weapon. And with SHOW, I mean shoot you dead for trying such a cheap thing on me. He chooses the second option by threatening me.



You're not threatening me. I was giving you opportunity to be smart. Pity.
Let's see. The PDA says that they too looked for Snag, but he wasn't there. Snag, you little rat, you've sold me out. Oh, Snag, that's not how we do things around here.

Sultan chooses not to asnwer to this all. You're no big figure here anymore, you sad man.

After selling this PDA to Uhu, he warms up a bit and compliments me on my ability to bring him info. I aim to please, though I can really go without your friendship. But he offers me to sell his goods for a little less. That must be hard for him.
The Achievement is called Information Trader, and means that Uhu will charge me less for his goods.

Hey hey.... I know this face. It's you, Snag. But he claims he doesn't have anything to do with Sultan. Hmm...
This is one part that really baffles me. He just says he didn't do nothing, and you have no choice but to believe him.
I'll sleep that over.

Look at that! Damn! Somebody had his dirty hands on MY stash. And I bet I don't have the faintest idea of who it is. Only that this loser Snag has choosen to relocate again.

But let's ask around.
The factions each tell me that THEY would never do such a thing, although the Duty members are quick to suggest that those "anarchos" of Freedom are very likely to do such a thing. Go clean up your own mess, folks.
But Doctor says he had seen a lone figure making his way northeast, name of Snack or Snob or somesuch. Who's surprised?
Zulu, in his tower, tells me that two figure met beneath his tower, and had a fight, but he drove them off with a few shots from his gun. ("Get off my lawn, kids!" Hihihi) I should look at the train station for them.

There he is! And there's his mate. Looks like the bandits finaly caught him. The bandit chooses to annoy the Dagtyarev, and the Dagtyarev chooses to SMASH him.
Now, let's take care of you, my little friend. You're in a sort of situation, aren't you?

That's an ugly thing to happen to a kneecap.
But consider yourself lucky. I'm no man to let another man bleed to death, or to wait until the dogs find you. I'm just very fond of telling you that I COULD. And amybe kick you around a bit. But after he told me where he had hidden my things, I let him go. I hope he gets eaten or something. I'm just too weak...

A few trips between here and Janow, and all my stuff is where it belongs. That'll be the last time somebody puts hand on my things.

By the way, you now must give me a nickname. You are nothing until you don't have a nickname, not in the Zone. Choose one based on what you consider Dagtyarev's most important achievements, how you think he is viewed in the Zone, and what you think fits his personality.

[GolemsVoice]

Tunnel of Hate

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So, with everything done, it is about time to get to the bottom of this pile of mysteries. Pripyat, here I come!

One last talk with Zulu, and off we go.
Shame you can't make screenshots during cutscenes, it had some really nice views of the team.
The first thing we notice when the elevator hits the bottom is that it won't go up again. Uh-oh. But we haven't come here to get out on THIS end.


The tunnel is remarkably quiet, safe for the occasional screeching of metal that is a bit too old. I'll bet that silence will soon change.

And it did. A few Hamsters and a band of Snorks try to stop us, but we make quick work of them. (Indeed, my team is fairly competent as far as video-game AI goes, though you mus assume a fair amount of reloads, since I try to get all my men out of here alive.)
[IMGhttp://lh3.ggpht.com/_c4jhpE8dbs0/S6Df8irgoFI/AAAAAAAAAlw/kPLU4bQs5zo/s800/ss_kilian_03-15-10_17-56-03_%28jupiter_underground%29.jpg[/IMG]
The first metal door presents itself. This must be the one that separates this part from the one that is flooded with poisonous gas. I hope the power holds.

Again, a gang of Snorks try to come out from under the opening door, but they just run into our heavy fire.

Looks like there even are anomalies down there. But with my team of experienced Stalkers, this shouldn't be a problem. (Again, it really isn't. These guys know their way around an anomaly.)

This won't do. Looks like we'll have to get around there.

Luckily, the small door at the side is still intact. A bunch of Hamsters greet us (vicious little creatures!), ang I greet them with a grenade. No problem.
[IMG]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_c4jhpE8dbs0/S6DgCHKF7SI/AAAAAAAAAmE/rUWl8gOG5Ko/s800/ss_kilian_03-15-10_18-00-43_%28jupiter_underground%29.jpgIMG]
Little sucker. Thougt to surprise us? Think again!

Again with the Snorks. This was the toughest fight so far, and I almost lost Zulu and Strider. Good thing I brought plenty of medical supplies.

Even down here, secret stashes await the adventurous Stalker!

If my plans are correct, this should be the last door.

Oh wow! Look at this! A giant dome that served as the train depot. Amazing! I wonder how this place looked when it was still used. It has a strange aura now. Ghostly. But the same could be said for all of the Zone, couldn't it?

Another control tower. I bet this will be useful.

More target practice. But otherwise, this giant dome is deserted. Ideal place for an ambush, though.

Let's look inside!

Another chest, filled with munition and vodka.

One of my team members really, like REALLY hated this Hamster, and contuinued to fill his corpse with shells, not even stopping when I came between him and the object of his hatred. The continuing shotgun blasts filled the dome.

At last a glimpse of the sky. Although it is not very inviting.
Before going on, I'll search this place.


Hmm, here's nothing.

A-ha! But unfortunately, it lacks a power supply.

This looks like it!

Hardly a second passed after pressing the lever, and the hall fills with footsteps. Uh-oh.

Monolither! I thought they were all wiped out when the whole mess at the Chernobyl NPP happened. Far from it, I see now.

With the power activated, I have now access to the control tower.

Grabbing a few supplies.

Again, Monolither try to stop us from reaching the now opened door, this time sniping from the ledges all across the dome. But my team awaits them.

After they have been dealt with, nothing stops me from getting out of here.


But what I thought was the way to the surface instead opens to a network of sewers. I wondered when i would encounter Zombies, they have taken long enough. They are far easier enemies than the Monolithers, though.
Onwards! The exit can't be far!

And here, finally, it is. Let's get out of here. Have I mentioned that I am not very fond of being underground?
Now comes and extended cutscene. Our wayward team exits the sewers, and is found by a military patrol. Time to reveal our true identity!
I fear there is no other way than to reveal who I really am. After presenting my badge, the situation becomes much less tense. I'm just glad they didn't shoot Strider on the spot, since I learn that the Monolithers are frightfully alive and active, while the military barely holds out. All my teammates agree to go with me to the military "headquarter", only Zulu doesn't want any business with the military. I'm sorry that I used them, but they don't seem to mind. Tough folk.

EDIT: Fixed the images

[GolemsVoice]

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So here I am, in an abandoned Laundromat-turned-Military headquarter. Major Kowalski tells me of how the various helicopters downed, and how the survivors managed to regroup and find shelter here in Pripyat, some even lead by a mysterious Stalker named Guide. They believe they have been shot down by the Monolithers, because they have an unknown weapon of immense power.

The Major also sends me to take part in an ambush on a Monolither patrol with these guys here.

So we head out into the night to ambush Monolithers, for a change. Because so far the Military has taken heeavy blows. These gas-masked zealots are entrenched in Pripyat like no one else.

I find myself a nice, lofty perk and ready my trusty rifle to show those freaks what's what.

And we have a winner! With the three men dead, it's time to investigate their corpses.

When suddenly all hell brakes loose as the other side of the building errupts into gunfire. Damn! They have been waiting for us! They are crazy enough to sacrifice their own friggin' men! Only a mad dash across the courtyard saves me from becoming the next military casualty.
Payback time.



There's also some sonore preaching, somebody talking about how the brave dead are now one with the Monolith, and how we thank the Monolith for warning us of the plans of his enemy, and so on. That's got to stop. Also, somebody is shooting the most powerful gun I've ever seen. A high-pitched noise, adn then a bolt of blue light tears through the darkness, and THEN, you can only pray you did NOT stand anywhere in the way of the bolt, for there is little that stops it. I bet the preaching and the shooting are somehow linked.

Two shots from my lovely Vintar make short work of that mad sniper/preacher. I hope he dropped his weapon where I can access it!
But first it's time to finish his flock.

Bang!

Bang!
There he is.

And there's the weapon. Looks strange, and pretty high-tech.
So, being the only survivor of this hellish night, I make my way back to the headquarters, to find that Gari has also got here. Very good.
Because Gari can lead me to Kardan, who is the man to talk to when you want to know anything about high-tech weaponry.

And I'm in luck! Kardan not only recognizes the weapon, he even tells me he worked on it back when the Zone was not yet there. He hands me a keycard to the lab he was stationed in, and tells me to search it for documents from back in the days. Oh great, another laboratory.

The well.known heavy door opens without complaint to the keaycard, and I enter the old, dusty, moldy lab.

Anybody home, I want to ask, before a distant growl echoes through the building. Why can't these things be SIMPLE?
Speaking of simple. No underground complex is complete without Zombies. Here they come.

Trying to ignore the constant deep breathing and growling, I make my way deeper into the complex, always gripping my weapon tightly.

This looks like our weapon here somwhere, no?

I thought I just mention the huge gaping holes in solid friggin' steel!

Oh god! What's that! Damn, what IS that?

Whatever it is, it sure took a lot of bullets. And I mean a LOT.
Seriously, that's all I can say here. By just running away and riddling it with bullets I was able to come away nearly unharmed. But it took half a dozen magazines at least. And it wasn't hard to hit.
That being done, time to get to the source of those holes.

Behind there, somewhere. But how to get there?
A-ha! Through this ventilation duct here. Just like in thos video games.


Won't you look at that! That's our weapon alright, only a few sizes bigger.
I grab the documents lying around, and head back to Kardan. Let's see what he can make from them.

[Asheram]

Addicted to Stalking

By the way, you now must give me a nickname. You are nothing until you don't have a nickname, not in the Zone. Choose one based on what you consider Dagtyarev's most important achievements, how you think he is viewed in the Zone, and what you think fits his personality.

How about Rum-runner, due to the impressive amount of vodka you pick up in the game?

[GolemsVoice]

That's a start, but I think consuming excessive amounts of Vodka is hardly reserved for our hero alone.

[Arcanoi]

Could name him Red, or Porcupine. Buzzard might also be good.

[GolemsVoice]

Red is fine. True to the source, too. I'll go with Red.

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With the precious data obtained, I head back to Kardan for some sweet, sweet Gauss-Gun-love. He tells me that with these new documents, he will fix the gun in no time. Good.

Leaving it in his care, I head back to Pripyat, to see what has become of the patrol that the military send out. Why am I sure they are dead?

And I don't want to encounter what killed them.

Yep, here they lie. Poor souls.
Ok, next assignment. A scout was sent to, well, scout, and he is currently stationed in an abandoned grocery store.

I hear shooting. Better hurry, maybe I can still save him!

What the heck is going on here? He keeps shouting "No, no, get away.." and shoots wildly all over the place... oh.. no.
Quickly, get the Controller. Luckily, i was prepared, and moved the creep down with a salvo from my gun. But too late for the poor guard, who, in his despair, shot himself. God, what does this place DO to people....
En route to my next mission, delving the depths of lab X8, I happen by the old kindergarden. Something evil is happening here.

Here we are. Next stop, underground hell. Again.


But of course things aren't simple, and so this elevator lacks power. So, all the way up it is.


Why hello there.

Zombies are like Mc Donalds. Wherever you go, you can be sure there is one.

Except that their Happy Meal is BRAINS. Actually I don't really know what they eat, or if they eat at all, but I'm sure that at least some of them are conservative in their eating habits.

Oh look! Religious fanatics. The less, the better.

Fighting Monolithers is tough. They are smart, and they are incredibly well equipped. Mostly. I am just happy that the Gauss gun I recovered seemed to be the only one they had.

Pripyat really has the strangest anomalies.

Looks like a team of scientists tried to do the same thing that I tried.
Before activating the generator, I check the rooftops for enemies, and almost get zapped. But, being the clever Stalker that I am, I whip out my generator and grab some artifacts. There's always time for making money.

This nets me the achievement Experienced Stalker, because I have been to almost all anomalies. Now I'll find more valuable artifacts. Good!

Only a few more of these white-clad freaks between me and a place I really don't want to go.

Ah! A stash!

With the flip of a switch, the generator springs to life. Down we go, down, all the way down.

Next step: The creepy hell-hole X8. Stay tuned! This will be good.

[Cristo Meyers]

Can't wait to get my hands on this game sometime. I finally nabbed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow for $6 and I'm loving it.

Well, loving the game. The *insert chosen explicative stream here* dogs I hate with a burning passion.

[Flickerdart]

Actually, you can just ignore most Blind Dogs, as they rarely attack you unprovoked. Pseudodogs are absolutely vicious though.

[GolemsVoice]

God, the dogs. Well, most normal dogs tend to run away, which is a good thing, though, if you are like me, you'll be out for their blood and hunting them with the knife, but pseudodogs, god, they never stop being annyoing. But I think the only mutant who I didn't find annyoing in some way was the Zombie.

[Cristo Meyers]

Actually, you can just ignore most Blind Dogs, as they rarely attack you unprovoked. Pseudodogs are absolutely vicious though.

Unless there's a half-dozen of them...then they'll hunt you down, yipping and constantly darting in and out of range, always circling...circling...circling...

I'd rather fight that damn Controller again than try and take on a pack of dogs.

[GolemsVoice]

Speaking of horror, here goes:

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I knew I would have to venture into one of those laboratories again. I only wish it could have been a NICE laboratory, like the ones where everything is white, clean, and slightly futurisitc, the ones you see in the advertisements for toot paste. But I guess there's only utiliaristic and industrial horror around here.

Look. It's red, to mark the descend into HELL. Oh well. Let's not get distracted here.

It's actually just red because it was closed. But as soon as I open the door, this familiar feeling of a headache and slight nausea greets me. Along with blurred vision. Psy-power. Damn.

These two Snorks don't stop me. But the entire laboratory is filled with growling and... agh! What? Where did THAT come from? Somebody's throwing objects at me again. Let's head on, and catch him. It.

Suddenly, I hear a baby crying. Just like that! God, that frightened me more than any growling. It came from the men's room.
And it is surely a trap. Well, two can play at that game.

A few frenzied seconds of shooting later, that miserable creature lies at my feet.
That being done, next stop.


Sadly, objects still have the tendency to lift and hurl themselves at me.This whole thing is freaking me out!


O-ho! Don't we all know this structure? It must be here where the brain scorcher was planned. We're right in the middle of something. Probably a horror movie.

At last, a document. Grab it, and see where the others are.

The whole complex is making me dizzy. Where to go? This is one giant deathtrap.

Another document. It seems that psychic research was the main purpose of X8. This document says that they managed to psychically contact somebody on the other side of the world. Wow!

The pit of Hamsters. It's like shooting rats in a barrel.

I think this is the way to go. Down, ever down. I hope I find those Buers. Before they find me.

This is a bingo.
What follows now is a collection of various attempts, of which there have been many. This room, as I later learned, contained no less than THREE Buers, and it was nearly impossible to get clear shots at them.


After countless agonizing minutes of mutant hunting, I finally slay the last of these freaks. If only I had managed to get a few clear shots! But they throw grenades aside with their telekinesis, and the room is filled with heavy objects. Objects that would kill me if they only hit me once.

But this is not the end. One document is still missing. That means I have to search this ENTIRE GODDAMN FACILITY AGAIN. This lab manages to drive a man crazy just by exisiting, and being so needlessly complicated.
Seriously, the map was almost useless, so you had to crawl in every hole. The final document was behind a closed door. Only that I don't even bother trying most doors, because 99% of them aren't even usable. Though I could have figured this out earlier, it still annoyed me.
Finally, I found the door I had missed. Now, down there, grab the document, and let's get out of here.

Partner, a piece of advice from a professional. If you hide behind doors, don't make so much noise.

With the lab plundered and everyone but me dead, I finally return to see the light of day. Or what passes as light of day around here. Somehow it never really gets as sunny as back in Zaton. Only this sick, yellowish light. But it's better than the cold lamplight down there.

Next time: Monolithers and Antennas, Zombies and Anomalies, Soldiers and Stalkers, war and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Thrills and Chills, you won't imagine. WARNING: May contain Gauss.

[Cristo Meyers]

Bloody snorks...*shudder*

I never did figure out a way to stop whatever it was from constantly chucking barrels at my head in the lab...

[GolemsVoice]

What lab? Was it the first STALKER? There's really no shortage of underground labs in that game.

[Cristo Meyers]

What lab? Was it the first STALKER? There's really no shortage of underground labs in that game.

Yeah, first underground lab in the first STALKER. The one in the Dark Valley.

Haven't gotten around to getting Call yet, mostly since I've only started working again a week ago...

[GolemsVoice]

The problem with the thing chugging barrels at your head in the first Stalker is, as far as I remember, that it

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can only be dfeated with grenades, and only if you know what it is, because nobody tells you anything.

[GolemsVoice]

Life ain't nothing but mutants and radiation, yo.

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So, having crawled out of the lab, it is now my duty to strike against those Monolithers. That's more my kind of thing, these freaks have been given free reign for too long. Scouts have reported an outpost, inside a local bookstore.

When I arrive there, Lt. Solotov and Wano greet me, which certianly is a pleasant surprise!

On the count of three, we storm the bookshop.

The Monolithers open fire, but we finish them off quickly, cleaning out the front.

But the real fun starts when we encounter that thing. After a bit more resistance, I enter a chamber containg this... heap of rubbish and metal. Three Monolithers can be seen in a kind of praying position around it, apparently listening closely to the voice filling the room.
We put them out of their misery. Then it strikes me! This was their try at an Antenna! Sure, one scary whispering thing is destroyed, let's just find another to listen to. They seem to think that the Monolith speaks to them via the Radio.

Having driven the Monolithers out of the store, I try to investigate Pripyat some more.
And I'm in luck!

Tools for calibrating, finally.

Let's just get out of here alive.

There's a network of underground tunnels, like the one I just came out of. No wonder the Monolithers can strike with impunity. This place is a military nightmare! And a regular nightmare, too, I guess.


Let's give Kardan one more gift. He really shaped up, the other Stalkers tell me he stopped drinking (almost) completely. Nice to know I'm making some changes round here.

Kardan now has all the tools he needs, and his specialty is Exoskeletons. He can now install a special hydraulic motor into an exoskeleton, enabling me to sprint.
(The achievement is called Weapon Systems Expert, and there would have been a different one if I gave the tools to Nitro)
With this in mind, and looking at my pockets filled with cash, I think I'll just buy one of these.

They sure aren't cheap, but short of somebody running you over with a tank, they'll protect you from almost anything. I'm also Ironman's poorer brother now.

Time for kardan to give ME presents. With the new data from Lab X8, Kardan is finally able to present the Gauss Rifle to me. One shot is all you have, but one shot is also all you need. The bullets strikes EXACTLY where you point the scope. How you like that, Monolithers?

God, I feel good holding this thing. Exoskeletton, Gauss Rifle. Oh yeah.
But I think I'll switch to more conventional weaponry, each 10-shot battery costs 2000 rubels!

That's intriguin.

After my first lesson in exoskeletton climbing

I reach the top of the building, but am dissapointed. The chimera down there has to suffer for it.

Can YOU spot it?

After we get off that roof, we meet an old friend, destryo things the military way, and meet men in black cloaks.

[Archonic Energy]

I never did figure out a way to stop whatever it was from constantly chucking barrels at my head in the lab...

at the top of the lab there's a "secret" room with a polterguist in it. that's what is throwing things at you. kill it with bulets... and pick up a heavy-machine-gun...

[GolemsVoice]

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After this fascinating episode on the roof it's time to get down again.

The soldiers have tracked down the source of the radio messages that the Monolither's makeshift antenna received. They have sent a team to blow it up, and.. hey! Concrete treehouse. Rad! Literally!


There's the rendevouz point. Time to search the bodies.... god, I HATE this city. There's nothing but death here for... strangers. I fear that I am already native to the Zone.

There they lie allright.

I take the explosives from the dead.

Actually, I'd rather go exploring Pripyat some more. That kindergarten (guess where the signal came from?) gives me the creeps.
Let's visit the NEXT level. The school of Pripyat.

I wonder what kind of anomaly that in the distance is. It surely looks bizarre.

Through the abandoned kitchen on the courtyard, my scanne is picking of a friendly person here.


These are certainly not my friends, but unlike friends, they are numerous here. I was about to turn and flee, I admit it, when I heard the familiar sound of Zulu's heavy machine gun. Nice. A quick talk shows Zulu that the military is no danger, and he agrees to return to the base. Finally an addition, instead of all the losses.
One last building caught my eye on the map.

This here.
It greets me by flinging a dead dog out of the window of the upper floor and scaring me half to dead. This doesn't bode well.

It is also filled with electrical anomalies that nearly roast me when I make an unfortunate move.

Something has to be in here. I'm going to hunt it.
It turns out that it was a Burer. Words can't describe how much I hate those. Luckily, bullets do the job quite well.

This one misses a few screenshots, I'm afraid, I often forget to make some in the thick of the action.

[Cristo Meyers]

Ahh...I love that assault rifle, got me through a number of scrapes.

Finished SOC a few days back. That was...intense.

[GolemsVoice]

Did you get the real ending or the

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Monolith endings?

Because a bug caused the main quest to reset after I found Strelok's stash, and I continued with the side missions, thinking it was teh real plot. The endings are quite cool even then, but they feel lacking.

[Cristo Meyers]

Did you get the real ending or the

Spoiler

Show

Monolith endings?

Because a bug caused the main quest to reset after I found Strelok's stash, and I continued with the side missions, thinking it was teh real plot. The endings are quite cool even then, but they feel lacking.

I got the real ending, shooting my way through many, many Monolithers and all.

Think I died about a dozen times, easy.

[Fri]

I know lp-ers live by eating comments, so I'm just here saying that I've just started reading this. dunno why not start sooner. I've kept hearing about this game, but also about its so called 'realistic hard' and 'goddamn full of bugs' so never dared to try it. looks awesome, actually.