Why hasn't this mod been posted to stalker.filefront.com?

[Mazryonh 0]

Stalker.filefront.com is one of the bigger repositories of mods for the STALKER series, and I'm surprised this mod (along with the enhanced AI pack and the "weapons and dead bodies janitor script" isn't there as well. Only the AMK Arsenal addons for this mod are there.

 

I know this mod was primarily made for a Russian audience (is that why the AMK 2.0 FAQ claims there "will be no English release of this new version"?), but I don't see why the last English release along with the appropriate accompanying files (the two I mentioned earlier) can't be uploaded there as well. More interest means more expertise willing to help, and help with a mod is always good--it could even assist in stomping out persistent bugs like the "corpse-dropping" bug I've mentioned before on these forums or help fix the problem where the Duty attack squad at the farmstead in the Army Warehouses doesn't just spawn at the farm after killing the Freedom trio at the entrance.

[ahilej 0]

Hi,

I am Ahilej, I am registered at filefront.com - stalker files - and at AMK group site as well.

The reason is simple. There is a mod, as you already know, called "Oblivion Lost" or something similar, which was built, in it's essence, of 70% or more of AMK team files. There I mean scripts, sleeping, NPC looting, creative AI, and other most cool stuff that is really AMK team achievement. And no one's else. The developper of this "Oblivion Lost" added some storyline changes and sidequests, most of the added are not suitable for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in itself, more likely for a games like "Elder Scrolls" or similar. And claimed the mod as his intellectual property. Since the poor "Oblivion Lost" was entirely in English, the english-speaking gamers community, out of misunderstanding, did not intercepted the AMK mod 1.4. EN 2.0, which was also unfinished by translation means. "Oblivion Lost" is much more easy to play, it has shining suits and other textures, and useless cars (and other useless stuff!) and... most of the gamers registered at FileFront really do not cared for real S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gameplay and creative achievements, just for mere fun. IMO.

Here I do not want to say that PC gaming should not be fun, here I just want to say that there is a thin line in gaming, when it is crossed, I know that the game - or mod - is made just to offend my intelectual or emotional capabilities. Maybe not intentionally, but this is the case witn "Oblivion Lost", which is, in my oppinion, just a cloned mod built upon AMK base, and it's gameplay - "Oblivion Lost" gameplay - offends me very much.

I have finished AMK, both English and Russian, more than ten times, and I have never felt offended. I am playing it again, and I eagerly wait for the AMK 2.0 release with new maps and script.

If we want a proper and deserved place for AMK 2.0 english at Filefront, then we will have to... fight for it!

Of course, if moderators at Filefront allow us to.

Привет!

 

Ахилеј

 

[Master Bates 0]

ahilej,

 

So....are you saying that Filefront won't let you upload AMK because of Oblivion Lost? Or are you saying that you feel like it would be poorly recieved by the site's users because they are used to OL?

[Mazryonh 0]

ahilej,

 

Unfortunately I haven't played Oblivion Lost, so I couldn't honestly give a good comparison, but I've watched quite a few vids that show gameplay on it. I do agree that having your work used without credit is quite a bad thing, though I think something like this emphasizes the need for better and faster English translation for this mod to reach more people.

 

The more people interested, the more people who may be able to help develop this mod. The more people who can work reliably on this mod, the better it will likely become.

 

I'll agree that cars really don't belong in the Zone--there are no working gas stations there, and getting gas inside would be a real problem. Besides, while I appreciate the "fast travel" system introduced in Clear Sky, being forced to walk everywhere in the Zone as you must in SoC really reinforces just how forlorn and dangerous the Zone actually is, especially with all the new AMK features such as blowouts and how they change the locations of anomalies--no two trips across the Zone are going to be alike, with attacks from mutants, other stalkers, and hidden anomalies likely every step of the way.

 

I do think AMK could use a few design decisions from Oblivion Lost, though. Making it easier for the player when they start could be as simple as having Sidorovich giving you a small "starter package" once you give him the Flash Drive from Nimble. It could consist of the following items:

 

1) A Sparkler artifact. While this may not seem like much, even having this basic artifact equipped will allow you to recover stamina while walking, allowing players to get where they need to go more easily and without as much interruption.

 

2) A free TOZ-34 shotgun with some slugs, making it a little easer to kill Bandits in the Garbage and later until you get an AK-74.

 

3) A Spring artifact, since you won't have an anomaly detector until you get to Barkeep, and because Springboard, Vortex, and Whirligig anomalies are the most common. All three of those do Impact damage, which a free Spring artifact could make the game a little more forgiving in this respect.

 

I believe with these in a starter the game could be more accessible to new players without making the game's early stages too easy.

 

Do you think you could explain in more detail as to what you think Oblivion Lost did wrong?

[ahilej 0]

Hi,

'Oblivion Lost" team got what they have got from AMK team in exchange for some weapon textures and 'ragdoll' physics correction, etc. AMK never had proper English translation. Filefront users do like mods... well, easy to play and pretty to see. IMO. Most of them. I just downloaded mod from there, for ShoC 1.0005 with best textures I have seen, I play ShoC from 2007. And mod was awful to play. Why? After hundreds of hours of work with graphics, weather, paralax mapping, AI, spawn etc. etc the author didn't realized that weapon's ballistic, accuracy and ammo spec's in "vanilla" are ridiculous.

So for Filefront.

Maybe they will accept AMK 2.0, we will see. But, in my oppinion, they did not payed due attention to AMK 1.4.022 EN intentionally. I cannot confirm that, but I can guess that there was some unofficial request from OL team.

OL is a big circuss, as I can see it. Lots of monsters spawned in tight ingame locations, hordes of bloodsuckers in unbeleiavble places, controlers and Burers visiting Bar and making stalkers kill each other every evening, quests like "kill the main Burer from which every Burer in the Zone takes orders", and, yes, final fight with the Boss after the fiveteen teleporters, the poor Boss is Controller with-a-ton-and-a-half of health, you can kill him only if you spawn specific anomaly in his way, by throwing an artifact. What is this? Nintendo...

I do not want to offend anyone, but this is not S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as I see it. I have read the Strugatski's book, looked Tarkovsky's film, played ShoC with many mods, and still think that OL is the worst of them. And, of all the mods I downloaded I play only AMK now.

I agree, and I understand, because I am living in a post-communist country, it is a bit hard to understand how one can manage only with Makarov etc. As you can maybe guess the point, this is a way how we LIVE here. On the first 'job' Marked One is probably sent to die, they simply do not want him or do not believe him. Or have sent several men before him, and they didn't return. In my way of thinking. The idea with a starter pack is good, but maybe a little later, just before job with Army documents from Agroprom.

And yes, he could keep his old and worn stalker suit, with 10% bullet proof, or so. The one he is wearing in the start movie.

Nevertheless, I often manage to get AKSU from bandits spawned at ATP later ingame. And, as you sure know, there is ammo box at the old Mill roof with 120 5.45x39 rounds. So I do not leave Cordon unarmed. Ammo box with 20 12x70 slugs can be found at the ATP roof.

But I do like the idea with additional armament and artifact(s) from Sidorovich, Marked One is working for him and he has proved himself useful. :-)

 

[Lum4r 0]

It's the variety of mods that keeps S.T.A.L.K.E.R. interesting to me. I played through vanilla the first two times. I loved the game but was disappointed with the ending, it wasn't until a few months later that I learned the Wish Granter wasn't the "real" ending

Next I tried OL because it had the most downloads and highest reviews. I remember thinking how strange it was that he took credit for the project even though so many of its features were credited to AMK. I didn't like getting that extra help starting out. I think it makes everything less rewarding when you can't say to yourself "To think I started out shooting Bandits with a Makarov, and now I'm like the king of The Zone" And then there were the cars. After the first time I saw a Bloodsucker and thought 'Oh my God, get in the car!' I realized that something was wrong. It also made me wonder why Marked One was the only one with his own, personal vehicle and everyone else had to walk everywhere. It just didn't add up.

The whole mod turned a survival game into an big joke.

 

AMK makes The Zone a rougher place. There's no cars, no tightly controlled groups of monsters that can't leave an area, no mercy for newcomers, and no combination of artifacts that makes you invincible to bullets. Every time I get killed in AMK Mod, I'm either laughing because I know I wasn't being careful enough, or I got killed by an Electro Chimera. One good thing about Electro Chimeras though, they definitely scare the hell out of me.

[ahilej 0]

:-)

[Mazryonh 0]

I think I should start a thread with a poll as to how to make this mod more popular. That could get us on filefront, and the more people who get interested, the more who might be willing to help with the mod.

[Splatich 0]

Hi guys, Chuppa here - I've wondered the same thing about AMK En not being on Filefront - maybe it's as simple as no one's put it up? I've pondered submitting the latest installer and seeing if it will be accepted. The problem is that as I'm not the creator of the mod they might not approve it - might be better if a Russian speaker contacts AMK team and gets approval?

 

I agree entirely about OL being a disappointment - it lost me when I had an Ak74u and about 300 rounds of ammo before I even left the village - then I was even less happy when Wolf's guys had run off chasing mutants etc.

 

IMO AMK is THE original true "SoC the way it's meant to be" mod!

[utak3r 6]

Well, it's obvious OL takes many techniques from AMK... many others do it, too - but it's clearly said it's from AMK - so it's fair... OL is not.

 

AMK itself... well, I was working on my own one, and done quite a big job, but when I've found AMK... well - I abandoned mine hehe. AMK is exactly what I need, now making just small additions to it.

 

After I've found it, the only other thing I'm waiting for is Lost Alpha from dezodor... we'll see. Solyanka - it doesn't resemble the true Stalker for me, it's just another shooter :/