Call of Chernobyl is a free-play sandbox mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. : Call of Pripyat created by TeamEPIC. It features 32 explorable maps, reworked level design and level fixes, new original level, Trucks Cemetery, Full AI and A-Life overhaul, engine and script enhancements, Repeatable task system which bases itself on A-Life events, Customizable weather environments for every map as well as surges and psi-storms from AF3, Character creation which includes name, portrait and faction selection; Several optional modes such as Ironman mode, story mode and zombie survival mode, New achievements, rankings and reputation system, PDA leaderboard and enhanced PDA statistics, Companion system with keyboard issued commands, many optional side-features and community-made addons . Call of Chernobyl was player's choice Mod of the Year 9th place in 2015 and 1st place in 2016!
This review may contain spoilers
10/10 - Agree (139) Disagree (15)
An endeavour that should be complimented by not only our small S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community, but modders around the globe. A project that started as map-pack which grew into a full modders resource and base for role-players, free-play enthusiasts, weapon pack lovers and of course die hard stalker fans alike.
Call Of Chernobyl is the embodiment of what I think "modding" should be. Team Epic spend their time and effort in not only creating something, but polishing it, adding onto where others would've stopped. Initially, as a map-pack, all what had to be done was smart terrains, the spawns and no other gameplay changes. As the year went by, not only the gameplay, but the engine, has been optimized and added onto.
Now, I gave a 10. Lets give some argumentation as to why I gave this mod a perfect score:
Engine optimization: 10/10
- FAST loading times due to ALL of the cleaning of unneeded repetitive code by Alundaio. This mod with all its goodness runs better than vanilla CoP on my old Q9550 / 4GB DDR2 RAM / GTX275. I am enjoying DX10 with sun-shafts ON and near 70FPS at some times, with little dips below 60. The performance speaks for itself.
Compatability: 10/10
- The creators of CoC have not only envisioned their "modders resource", but they have also provided the needed tools to allow modders to fully decode, unpack and change whatever element about CoC. A fully upgraded SDK with level files, tutorials and videos on how to do whatever, all within their own free time. Team Epic deserves nothing less than their name, Epic.
Gameplay Mechanics: 10/10
- New mechanics are EVERYWHERE. From in-game commands for the (previously unused) num-pad keys, changing of squad size, spawns, probability of mutant spawns, frequency and of course my favourite feature, artefact degradation, this mod has it all. CoC 1.4 offers so much to not only the modder, but also the player. Some argued it became "stale" and "boring" after a while, but this definitely switches up the gameplay.
Graphical fidelity:
- Call it placebo, but CoC looks and sounds so much better than vanilla CoP. Not only the graphics themselves, but the overall feel of the game feels more polished. From unique soundtracks to, albeit by another team, honest and powerful weapons, the gunplay, a vital organ of any game and mod, feels "up there".
All in all a 10 out of 10. I can't add anything more, since this review was revisited on the 26th of September, 2016, and I have yet to really get into the whole 1.4 version of the mod.
But I am a VERY pleased fan. Alun, Darryl, Bangalore, Neko, Borovos, ExImIeR and 2C, WELL DONE. Thank you, really.