At SP's suggestion I read this *entire* thread just to catch up to you guys and let you know I'm playing Stalker too.  Usually I get only an hour or so a night between putting the kids and myself to bed.  As I said elsewhere, this game is CREEPY.  I'm on the brain scorcher mission that takes you to the area with the glowing towers.  And the ghost things.  Geez I'm shooting everything I see.  Pity any old granny who's managed to eke out an existence away from the factions: I'll blow her away as quickly as I do anything else.

As Scout said, this is a game about surviving in Hell.  I wonder in some ways if that's what the developers intended.  I tend to avoid political movements but to me nuclear power is about as insane a thing as humans do.  I post in another forum about it occasionally and the apologists for it all said (before Fukushima) "oh the reactors are safe" and "Chernobyl was old technology".  Now they say "reactors can be safe" and "you can't help natural disasters", but to me that's the very point.  You can't help accidents.  Nuclear power is a convenient fix with political backing when what we really need is a transformed species.  And not in mutational ways either.

I will confess that I cheat in one way: I modified my carry weight.  Based on everything I've read in this thread, that has lessened a lot of the monotony and stress that the game has caused everyone else.

I stopped doing the side missions as soon as I failed one because of an unknown time limit.  No point in doing those because I can support myself based on looting thanks to the carry modification.

I haven't actually joined a faction because I don't understand the differences between them.  Also I'll add that for the most part I don't know why I'm doing quests.  The story seems sort of secondary to me.  The environment is what matters.  An area regressed to a point where it's worse than the stone age because it's poisoned and booby-trapped seems like a great gaming environment.  Based on what I've read here, I don't guess I will join one.  Doesn't seem to be a point really.

I'll look around, check out all the zones, finish the main quest, then do the sequels.

As I also mentioned in that other thread, at least this game isn't crashing like FO3 did for me constantly.  But I'll stick with you guys as long as you keep posting here.

Earnest said........>>I post in another forum about it occasionally and the apologists for it all said (before Fukushima) "oh the reactors are safe" and "Chernobyl was old technology".  Now they say "reactors can be safe" and "you can't help natural disasters", but to me that's the very point.  You can't help accidents.<<

Earnest says two things here that I find interesting. 

The first is.......   Now they say "reactors can be safe".   I agree with this. If there is planning, review,  reexamination along with great care and oversight,   I believe that nuclear reactors can be safe.   What I don't believe is that all of that will ever happen.  The companies that build the reactors, the industries that run the reactors,  the governmental agencies that oversee the industries and reactors will all be filled with people who are willing to cut corners. And so we will end up with a house of cards as happened in Japan.  

I have come to believe that public safety and well being and the environment are at the bottom of the barrel when making money is involved.  We don't just need to look at the nuclear industry.  Look at oil in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.   Look at what is happening with natural gas right now and the pollution of ground water sources.   Look at our food industries.  Look at the financial industry and their games and slights-of-hand to make billions and gut our economy and regular people.  How one can trust any industry or  so called government oversight.   I have no belief in any of this anymore. 

But that was only the first thing Earnest said that I found interesting.   The second is....>>"you can't help natural disasters", but to me that's the very point.  You can't help accidents.<<

I won't go any further with that one.   If it isn't obvious to you, there is nothing I can say. 

Well, that was my rant for the day.

Kay

I'm trying to remember Yantar (all the names are kind of secondary to me).  Is that the place past the burning underpass?  Yeah it's creepy!  Moaning shooting zombies just what we need.

I have a question though: after installing Stalker complete (maybe before too I dunno) none of the monster names show up in their little windows.  Do you guys see monster names up there?

As a result I have no idea what anything is.  There's some invisible monster--maybe a graphics glitch I dunno.  And one with tentacles in its face.  Some sort of a dog and a bore.  Not sure if I've seen others.

And what was up with that place where the barrels kept attacking me?

I am through Yantar.  [Image Can Not Be Found]

It wasn't fun - kill, kill, kill. It wan't easy.  But I did it.  

And now the Barkeep wants me to go to places I cannot possibly handle.  So I am just sorting through my inventory -- selling and buying. I often did this also in Fallout 3 (spend an incrediable time managing my inventory).  There is a term in psychology for what I am doing.  It is called displacement activity which means you do safe stuff vesus going ahead when you are very anxious.  I know this term since I spent 25 years of my life with a clinical/behaviour psychologist.   So I am just trying to avoid going on, since I know it will only get harder and I will die more and more and more. 

On the bright side,  I am amazed I have gotten so far in this game. 

Kay 

The Brain Scortcher is kaput.  Every couple of day I come back and try to make a bit of progress.  Today I shut down the Brain Scortcher.   That felt like progress to me.   I guess  Pripyat is next.   If I get there,  I will let you know.

kay