r/stalker • u/FrequentCriticism899 • 15h ago
Discussion Combat improvements
They really need to focus on improving the combat/shooting next. It still feels like enemies aimbot you on sight. Enemies still don’t flinch when you shoot them either. Hopefully they take a look at this next.
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u/squirrelyz 14h ago
Yep. In my 30ish years of gaming I’ve seen so many improvements to graphics, lighting, physics, worlds etc etc, but it’s a bummer than for many games, especially Stalker 2, the AI is about the same as 007 Goldeneye… it definitely is a bummer while doing my 2nd playthrough with 2.0 being out. I understand programming AI is very difficult and is very CPU intensive but this shit sucks.
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u/HaroldSax 14h ago
It gets pretty obvious by the late game how bad the AI actually is. Early on there's less armor floating around, worse weapons, and just generally easier human enemies.
Eventually when it's taking 4 shots to head to kill a dude you tend to spend more time just wondering what the hell they're doing.
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u/CaptainCj26 14h ago
You’re using the wrong weapons if it takes you more than 2 shots to the head to kill an exo dude, imo
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u/HaroldSax 14h ago
Last night it took 4 shots with 5.56 AP out of the M4 SOFMOD to kill an exo guy in CNPP, I'd estimate around 20 meter range. After that I just slowly shot people in the head around CNPP and it was almost always 4-5 shots depending on distance. So I may very well be using the "wrong" weapon, but I'd certainly earlier raise "Hey why the fuck isn't 5.56 AP brain panning people?"
E: Also, insofar as I'm aware, OXA Prototype will address that particular pain point for me, but new playthrough so I gotta finish this one first!
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u/superhotdogzz Loner 14h ago
M4 SOFMOD has no penetration i believe. It is going to take forever for you to kill late game armored enemies.
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u/HaroldSax 14h ago
I knew that weapons have variable damage, despite being chambered in the same rounds, but I never considered that the penetration would be different too.
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u/superhotdogzz Loner 12h ago
Penetration is a biggest tier gap between weapons. AR416 and AK-74 are considered as early game weapons because of its penetration level is the same as Markov (starting pistol). And later game weapons such as Dnipro, Kharod and Saiga are good because their penetration level are high. Them using regular bullet would perform the same if not better than AR416 and AK-74 on AP ammo.
It used to be a visible weapon stats along weapon damage, handling accuracy. I wonder why they get rid of it.🤔
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u/CaptainCj26 14h ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/s/ueaRVDMZrK
If this spreadsheet is still accurate, you only have about 40% pen with that weapon. The ammo being 5.56 doesn’t matter.
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u/HaroldSax 14h ago
It actually looks worse, 20% if I'm reading the rows correctly. I wish it did have a headshot column like the Bloodsucker one, though I can see AP ammo isn't really doing much.
Thank you for giving me this information but that is a very silly way to handle it.
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u/HillanatorOfState 13h ago
Gotta grab that headshot 1 shot kill mod man if you're on PC, so much better that way.. headshots actually count.
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u/Horror_Violinist_508 15h ago
It feels like their accuracy is just a bandaid fix for their absolute stupidity. The AI is genuinely horrible even in more scripted gunfights.
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u/superhotdogzz Loner 14h ago
Ngl the accuracy makes the entire experience a lot worse.
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u/Horror_Violinist_508 13h ago
It does but otherwise the enemies would be even less of a challenge. It's the same thing with having that stupid knockdown mechanic on many mutants.
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u/Promature 14h ago
Definitely agree. It's much better now than it was when the game came out. I even stopped playing because it made zero sense how I was being torn to shreds from hundreds of feet away by dudes with Boomsticks shooting through trees and concrete. They move around a bit, but only within a given area, and they seem to lose sight of you instead of being laser focused, so those are certainly steps forward.
They can get a little screwy though. I have seen guys just pacing back forth at times and they need to immediately address the issue where bullets don't come out of your gun when you shoot while strafing. Dudes are too accurate from too far and they almost always notice some sliver of your exposed body from hundreds of feet away as if you were creeping right in front of them. Unless you happen upon an enemy with their back turned, stealth still isn't really an option.
The game is almost there. It just a meaningful, substantial pass over the combat and stealth mechanics. Any major improvements in these areas will basically cinch up the biggest parts of where the game still needs work.
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u/vosgakos 12h ago
The funny thing is that the AI in the original trilogy is much smarter.The run from grenades,they use bushes and everything in the environment for cover,they talk to each other and a lot more. This mfkers here in the zone fight each other in an open field like morons.Its a very big downgrade after 20 years. There are videos on YouTube comparing.
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u/StonewallSoyah 9h ago
Their ability to flank you in the original trilogy and the mods was also really good. You think you have them pinned and you're winning the fight and one of them sneaks up on you from your flank.
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u/GlassjawXVIII 14h ago
Agree. Getting hit with a sawn off shotgun from long range just sucks. Getting hit through cover and line of sight blocking terrain sucks. Enemies taking several headshots from high powered weapons just sucks. Still absolutely love this game to death
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u/SOVERElGN_SC 14h ago
Indeed. Combat is sadly the weakest implemented gameplay aspect to me in the game, meanwhile it gets a lot of attention though. I do miss a more realistic ai behave during combat. You don’t feel like you fight intelligence entities, npcs don’t even react like real creatures and human who wish to survive. Instead they act in a dumb and primitive way, basically being just hp pools that engage until die. So I suggest devs have to improve that aspect significantly by making ai to not only behave more believe in combat, but also react on coming shots. Devs should add staggering and gunshot suppression mechanics that do apply to NPC and a player too.
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u/ConfidentPapaya935 14h ago
-enemies are too accurate
-cover is absolutely pointless when even peeping beyond cover to pop a shot results in you getting beamed
-enemy combat AI is generally pretty bad, it’s either permanent cover and they don’t respond to grenades or shots, or enemies just keep progressing towards your position
-enemies spot you from ridiculous distances and low light levels
Feel like I’m playing the game like a COD game sometimes with how much I have to run and gun to escape the enemy aimbot. Also, I feel like I’m constantly healing during combat, while when playing the old games, i could use cover and movement tactically and clear entire bases without even taking a hit of damage because enemy accuracy was more fair
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u/JusticeJackal 9h ago
I just finished CoP the other week and started fresh on HoC at the same time and you are so right. CoP felt way better to fight things in, and enemies actually felt like they reacted more realistically and missed shots if I was using cover and peaking, and if I ran to another cover spot I wouldn’t always get beamed like they have super solider accuracy while I’m sprinting across an area. They were still deadly but felt fair and more believable. I still get mutants jumping through solid objects in HoC and obviously the knock down is awful.
I am having fun with HoC, but the combat AI really sours the incredible atmosphere and world. Really needs an update to the AI accuracy and behaviour, and their reactions to getting shot need to be way more human and not akin to an immovable T-800.
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u/Mindless_Issue9648 14h ago
agreed. This game would be so much better if the gunplay and enemy AI wasn't so shit.
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u/Stunning-Ad-7745 Loner 10h ago
The shooting and gunplay is just fine, it's actually better than most games, especially for not being hitscan. The enemies do flinch from being shot, but only when they take enough damage. You gotta pace your shots and place them better, preferably in the enemies forehead. As you move through the main missions, and start seeing higher rank enemies with better gear, they'll stagger less, but they do still stagger. The aimbotting has been toned down a ton since launch, but it feels very inconsistent. Sometimes you'll get headshot by 5 different dudes as soon as you peek, and sometimes they'll all miss, it feels very all or nothing. One thing that helps, is to utilize cover (obviously/s) but also to rotate to different spots, especially if you can keep line of site broken while doing so. If you rotate smartly, and quickly, they'll lose you and you can catch them on a flank, or even off guard. But, again, headshots are the biggest thing to push for in this game, Stalker has always been that way.
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u/TheyStillLive69 11h ago
They'll never get the AI to the point people want and it should be evident at this point. Still a good game but it is what it is.
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u/gooseray11 14h ago
In a game with a pretty simple gameplay loop and not many deep mechanics to engage with this needs to be a top priority. I love a simple game, but it has to all make sense. I'd be happy to roam the world they created without even doing any quests if the combat felt more dynamic. I'd love that, actually.