Reduced Effect Drugs and Medications Add-on Thread - MISERY mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

I created a spreadsheet detailing all the characteristics for the drug and medical items for all classes (I did not change any beverage or smoking materials effects). After considering the differences I have created a whole new set of meds/drugs using the following criteria to differentiate between the classes:

Sniper is the median in everything with average perks and side-effects. The overall effects of most items are reduced across the board.

Recon having a faster metabolism gains an increase in effects of all drug/medical items. It takes less time to use them and they last a shorter period(-15%). They have a 15% bonus on medkits and some items like pills, and a 10% bonus on the effects of all injected medical items. They also have a 15% higher side-effect impact.

Assaulter has a slower metabolism and derives 15% less benefit from medkits and a 15% bonus on injected items. Because they don’t metabolize pills completely before they pass from the body they lose 15% of the overall effects. While they receive less total benefit, the effects last longer(15%). Side-effects are reduced by 15% because of their tolerance level.

Medkits heal at 1/10^th the rate for ten times longer for a more realistic healing rate without side-effects.

The overall healing power of all items has been reduced. The Red medkit used to heal 43% in 42.6 seconds, the new one heals a total of 25% over 426 seconds.

The brief blackout from medkits remains.

Medical items and boosters are not cumulative in effect. If you drink a Hercules for some energy and increased carry capacity and then take caffeine before the Hercules is finished working, the balance of the Hercules effect will be canceled and the caffeine effect will begin. Choose your products wisely.

Your strategy now is to decide, looking at your health bar in your inventory UI, which product will adequately heal you and based upon the degree of current threat and planned activities choose either to use a medkit for slower healing without any side-effects, or do you need to heal now, and use a stimpak. If you choose a medkit, and fall under fire or attack by mutants, you can cancel the medkit by using a stimpack or other injected item for fast effect.

Several prices have been adjusted to better match the value of the benefits.

Several items either healed and/or removed radiation well beyond 100% of the maximum survival levels. I have scaled the effects of the top end items to only heal up to 100% for the class deriving the best benefit and less effect for the other classes. This means the maximum healing and radiation treatment for these items are in some cases dramatically less.

Additionally, I have adjusted the half-lives of cocaine and adrenaline to more realistic periods. This means they will not last as long.

Some side effects have been reduced, because they were originally considerably more than 15% different between Sniper and the other classes. The side-effects now consistently adhere to the outlined class differences. I think you will find generally less sleepiness and in some cases hunger from using some products.

The descriptions now provide more data to help you choose the right product for the task.

I may eventually create an alternative set of medkits with the original healing rate.

I will clean up the spreadsheets for the current and add-on effects over the next week or so and make them available so you can compare the changes. I have also deduced and documented the formulas for setting the rates to help myself and others in the future.

I welcome feedback on how this impacts balance between the classes and the overall game play impact.

Edited by: jasper34

Sounds pretty cool, might as well try it out just before 2.2 comes out.

By the way, is this going to be a part of the 2.2 update, or it's just optional adjustment to 2.1?

This is actually intended for 2.2, but should work fine on 2.1.1. The only exception, I think, is the Akvatabs in 2.2 are blue in color and the description is changed.

This is not part of 2.2, merely my own work. It will definitely change the relation between the classes and the game balance. I hope in a pleasing way. If not, I can make adjustments, or original files can be copied back in easily. This does not require a new game, so it is pretty painless. I do appreciate any feedback via PM

The premise of this add-on sounds great and obviously has a ton of thought put into it. I look forward to using it - thank you Jasper.

I hope I put enough thought into it. Without reading tens of thousands of early days posts, I have tried to keep things as close to the MISERY ideal as possible, just tightening the reins a bit more. If I have erred, it will show mainly in Assaulter/Recon play and I will rely on feedback from those enthusiasts as how best to tweak it.

Happy Hunting Stalkers!

Great add-on! Even if I do not use drugs, but I use only medicines when needed, I will use it from the very beginning of 2.2.

Has anyone had a chance to try this with either Assaulter or Recon? I will be starting a new game with Assaulter using this and providing feedback, but was hoping someone else may have had the chance to do so already.

Your feedback will be appreciated. In particular, does it require a little more thought and planning before an assault? Do the advantages and disadvantages of class vs. sniper seem well balanced?

Okay, more or less tested.

Medkits are now aren't as reliable, but on the other hand it helps with management of potential trip length and resources, as you might as well rejuvenate at Skavovsk/Yanov/Laundromat at medic's. Stimpaks are more useful than ever for that regard.

And I've also stopped relying on adrenaline to run around in circles and instead use it as a last resort for escape (to stash loot) or for quick, multi-anomalous fields investigations.

An exhausting spike in difficulty, but nonetheless enjoyable to use.

@Edit

Played as Recon. I'm not sure about other classes, but kinda feels like Recon nerf to me.

Edited by: Khadahnir

What do you mean reliable?

What do you mean nerf? Makes Recon easier or harder?

Thanks for the feedback!

IMO Recon is "the hoarder" class, and that's why I like him so much. Reduced duration of adrenaline really worsens his overall performace when compared to other classes in terms of taking longer trips. Gameplay is harder, is what I say, but it doesn't concern me that much - I can adapt.

Medkits aren't reliable, because they suddenly don't heal you for half of your health, offering easily accessible and often looted from dead stalkers/mutants sometimes; basically, considering cost:healing, single best healing source(s) in the game,

So harder, as intended. Medkits are great choices IF you can remain out of trouble long enough to restore your health. Everything heals you less than before. Medkits just do it without the side-effects of stims.

Thanks!

Jasper, several hours into my Assaulter play-through and my initial feedback is very positive. The game is harder, as intended, but fair in my opinion. Medical items are no longer stash decorations - they actually need to be used given your logical tweaks. One issue I have, which may or may not be a result of your tweaks, is that when I take a stimulant that is labeled to significantly reduce sleepiness (caffeine pills, for example), I still get the sporadic hazy sleep vision as though I am tired. This is a pain, as I could really use those stimulants as an Assaulter who washes down his mutant meat with found alcohol

Alcohols effects are immediate and the stimulants are over time, so if the chosen stimulant doesn't exceed the depressant ....

You could try tweaking the caffeine effect a bit higher to find a better balance for you. IRL alcohol always wins out over caffeine in my experience.

Maybe it would be better to eat right before rest ...

Haha very true regarding alcohol > caffeine. If I were to tweak the sleepiness / drunk decrease effect for the stimulants, how would I go about doing that?

Look in the files provided, find the appropriate entry for each item (note: the multiuse items require the changes be made to each version of the item).

The terms are not too hard to figure out, but sometimes whether you want to increase or decrease the number can be confusing.

Terms beginning with eat are applied immediately, the others are usually over time.

Jasper, I'd like to try the game without your mod now (it is a great mod, but I'd like to see how it compares to the original), but foolishly did not create a backup of the original files before copying over your new files. Is there any way I can revert to the original files without reinstalling the game? If not, will simply rerunning the installer overwrite the relevant files with the original ones?

Reinstalling might work, it is safer to uninstall and start fresh. Or you could make a list of the files changed (it wasn't that many) and find and copy just those files over your installation. A new game is not required then.

Great, thank you. Uninstalling and starting fresh seems best; however, do I need to uninstall and start fresh on CoP as well or can I just uninstall Misery and reinstall without uninstalling the CoP?

You can try it that way, backup your saves. During testing, we always did complete uninstalls just like the directions. It saved any confusion when troubleshooting potentially caused by not doing so.

This is a sweet mod, Roger.. good job!

Will this neat treat get an update for 2.2.1 or is it working still with no action needed?

Nothing should be changed, it should work fine. If anyone finds it does not, please let me know.