Despite the bugs and performance issues that came with it, long-time fans seem to be quite happy with the launch of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The game currently has ‘Mostly Positive’ reviews on Steam, which says a lot, considering how quickly fans change their reviews if something doesn’t go their way.
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Stalker 2’s Buggy Launch Isn’t Going To Matter In The End
Hardcore fans are going to stick with GSC Game World’s sequel no matter what.
GSC Game World has committed to fixing the issues that currently plague the game, and has even detailed the fixes that will come in the first patch. While there are already several mods to help with the performance issues, it seems players are particularly tired of Stalker 2’s broken A-Life system.
Get A-Life
For those unaware, A-Life is the Stalker series’ world and NPC system that dictates everything that goes on in the background. It governs what NPCs and enemies will get up to even if you’re not around them. It basically makes The Zone a living, breathing world that continues existing in spite of or despite your actions.
However, as things stand, the system in the game is broken, causing NPCs to seemingly come out of nowhere or spawn behind players. While this adds a new level of horror to the game, it’s not how the world is intended to be. Players have been reporting about getting shot from behind by enemies that have spawned out of nowhere, like LooseTonguee has on Reddit.
The post complains about how the community seems to be gaslighting itself into thinking the A-Life system was never a major feature of the series. This is quite untrue – the series has been lauded for how alive the world feels and how it goes on regardless of player action. It appears that by doing so, the community is trying to cope with the currently broken nature of the game.
Many of the comments agree with OP. While it’s understandable that the game isn’t as polished – especially since the devs had to deal with a literal invasion – convincing yourself that the current state of the A-Life system is fine is a bit of a stretch.
“Pretty much my #1 problem with the game. I can deal with the empty feeling of everything else but for the love of God please just populate an area before I get there,” said one of those comments. Running into an empty building inside of an empty poi only to come outside and see a full squad of dudes just chilling like they have been there the whole time is such a shit game design, intentional, bug or whatever it’s just bad.”
Thankfully, GSC Game World has mentioned that dealing with the A-Life system is next in line, after the first patch.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the long-awaited follow-up to the apocalyptic first-person shooter. As a Stalker, you must venture into the deadly Exclusion Zone, contending with mutants and warring factions alike, in search of valuable artifacts.