Hello,

So I just got S.T.A.L.K.E.R..: Shadow of Chernobyl on gog. Never played a STALKER game before, though saw the Tarkovsky film. Any patches or mods you recommend? Don't really want any gameplay changes unless people really recommend it, just want a vanilla playthrough with as few patches and as stable as possible.

For Shadow of Chernobyl I recommend the Zone Reclamation Project, more commonly known as the ZRP.

It's very helpful even for a first game. It actually allows you to do a lot more than you're asking for, but that's all optional and clearly noted as such.

Hello,

Okay thanks! So hate to ask for more, but I tried to install this after reading through the readme, and I just dragged all the documents and into the game install file in gog. It worked at first but then crashed? Tried to find some guide online, but it seems like most people use other mods now and there aren't any good guides for this. Any suggestions?

I'm reinstalling the game now.

Since it's your first time playing, I personally recommend the Complete mod since its mostly bug fixes and small graphics and sound changes, also a few new features such as sleeping bags.

Once you've got some experience under your belt however, I recommend you do a clean install and go for Autumn Aurora mod. Very beautiful in terms of graphics and atmosphere, increased difficulty, new items/weapons along with a revamped economy so that items cost more.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009
http://www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-aurora-compilation-mod

Both mods use exe files to install, allowing for easy installation for those unsure of how to properly import files into the folder.

After the crash: Find your log file, find the error report at the end and use that to troubleshoot your problem. As that link shows, there are still crashes in Shadow of Chernobyl even with the modded game. The version used by Steam and GOG have a new bug added by the replacement developers that crashes the game if you use or eat something from the body of a stalker.

There is a readme file that tells you how to install the game. You didn't mention changing fsgame.ltx, which you need to do with ZRP and most mods that don't come with an installer EXE.

I'm curious: What version of ZRP? Where did you get it? Was it part of a package, like a starter pack?

Also, I don't recommend Complete any more, as it uses an old version of ZRP from 2009. The more recent versions of ZRP fix a lot more bugs.

Edit: The ZRP website also has a troubleshooting guide that might help.

New to the game as well. Should I download the 1.09 experimental patch? or is the official 1.07 patch for the ZRP mod good enough?

antman3, if you are using the GOG version of Shadow of Chernobyl, that's patch version 1.0006, so I'd recommend the still-experimental ZRP 1.09 XR2 version which prevents a crash from an NPC that dies while reloading. This crash is more common in patch 1.0006 than in earlier patch versions.

There is still a crash if you eat or use something directly from the inventory of a corpse (a new problem introduced by patch 1.0006, so transfer it first to your inventory before using it), and there are a few rarer crashes still present in the game, but all of these are not show-stoppers and you can reload the last save if they happen to you.

Why would I recommend 1.09 over 1.07? Each release of a version is better than the one before. The XR2 version is still experimental because it uses a new way to process scheme triggers. This helps the NPCs to "think" faster. But I didn't encounter any trouble with the new version in recent tests, so I think it is at least as stable as 1.07 now.

There are also more fixes in 1.09. You can see them in the link to GSC in the paragraph with the ZRP 1.09 download link, or read about them in the gamedata\docs\ folder.

In addition, if you have trouble, I can help you fix it. I can also answer questions.

If you come from an FPS background, there's an early-game high degree of difficulty due to poor beginner protection and really weak beginner weapons.

The Modifier can help you tweak your game to the style of play you want. There are some bugs and quirks and exploits in the original game that some find endearing, like the ability to get perfect weapons from wounded or get multiple secrets from the same bodies. You can turn these back on if you wish.

I hope you enjoy your game.

For a new player I'd recommend ZRP or the Starter Pack 2017
Hardcore types will tell you it's "too easy" but really, compared to other shooters, Master difficulty is still plenty hard.

To get mods to run, you need to first edit the file fsgame.ltx in the main game folder. Just change the $game_data$
line from true | false to true | true.

Generally in the STALKER games, you can change many settings via text files.

There are in fact some other edits recommended, with the distance at which enemies notice you, and the distance from the player at which Alive becomes active being the most important. These settings are decribed in the two threads below. Even though it's for a different mod for Call of Prypyat, the settings are the same in SOC with ZRP.
(relevant are the files in the gamedata folder after installing mod):
http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-misery/forum/thread/fix-tweak-npc-detection-ranges
http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-misery/forum/thread/alifeltx-objects-per-upate-stuttering-reduction

There might also be an annoying shadow glitch (there are several different ones I believe). The most common of which can be fixed by adjusting r2_sun_near_border to somewhere between 0.8 and 1.3 in the user.ltx file (under my documents).