The Zone of Alienation mod is an adaptation of the renowned AMK mod. It is built on top of a specialized variant of AMK that uses a magazine system. From this premise, it has expanded to aim to include the following:

Post feature Report RSS Artifact detectors.

Since now that I have artifact detectors added into the mod I am working on the process of how I am to modify their mechanics. In the time that I put off adding these into the game, I have focused on what each type of detector will do, how it is constructed, and how the player will be able to obtain them, so with this article I will explain the details of the concepts I have worked on for months now.

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A while back I wrote an article about how I think artifact detectors should work, since then I have worked on most of the conceptual basis for how each detector is constructed, and what it will be used for. Unlike the system used in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, detectors in Zone of Alienation will not be tiered in nature, rather each one is more like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, you will need different types to find certain artifacts.

From the very start of the game, Sidorovich will give you one type of detector. So far I have five varieties in total, the first is free, but the rest will be rewards from special quests that I have currently written for them. Two of these detectors you will have to gather components for, and the stalkers that give you the mission to find them will build them and give them to you, although this is usually done in exchange for something. The two other ones, will be rewards for fulfilling tasks, one will be done in the new first area, the other as a reward for X-16.

Detectors themselves will cost more than weapons, usually between 1000, and 5000 RU. Except for the one built by the Scientists in Yantar, which is a very sophisticated instrument that costs around 15k.

In the starting areas it is not likely that they will spawn on NPCs, they will be quest items that open up your economic prospects, although it is possible that I may add a very small probability of finding one on a corpse.

Since the Soyuz faction are primarily composed of "diggers," they will be the main supplier of most types of artifact detectors in the Zone, which are often comprised of electronic components most often found in the garbage.

The process of finding artifacts in an anomalous area is very different than finding the anomalous area itself. Artifacts usually produce a pattern of signals at specific frequencies, which are buried in the electromagnetic noise of their parent anomalies. As a result, most anomaly detectors are extremely poor at finding artifacts, because they are not specifically calibrated to find them. Most of the detectors themselves were developed by stalkers, after incidentally finding each artifact's signal in an anomalous field while carrying electronic equipment. This equipment was then modified and paired with other equipment, the level of gain was changed, and the width of the signal band was cut down to fall into specific frequency ranges. The final product pairs the two signals picked up by the artifact's pulsating core, and is heard by the operator as an auditory beep.

Part of the history behind the spur of diggers sifting through the trash of the garbage was not just for artifacts, but for equipment better suited to find them. It led to the four common designs constructed by stalkers.

The five varieties of detectors are:

MF/HX detector. (Medium Frequency / Hard X-Ray bipolar signal detector)

  • Given at the start, works for Springboard and several other types of artifacts.
  • Is constructed out of a modified AM radio and a scintillator + semiconductor detector
EHF/SX detector. (Extremely High Frequency / Soft X-ray bipolar signal detector)

  • Uses frequencies from the upper microwave section of radio frequencies, combined with soft X-ray signals
  • Is made from a Ka band satellite reciever and a scintillator + semiconductor detector
M.G.G detector (Magnetic/Gravitational field/gamma ray tripolar signal detector.)

  • A highly sophisticated instrument constructed by the scientists at Lake Yantar.
  • Quite costly but invaluable in finding certain artifacts.
MIR/UHF detector. (Mid-range Infrared paired with a UHF microwave antennae signal detector.)

  • Built from the seeker head of a Kh-25MTP guided missile, and a hand-radio antennae.
  • Part of a quest to gather components for in the Army Warehouses, and take it to Screw for assembly.
Electrostatic detector (Electrostatic voltmeter / magnetic field detector.)

  • Constructed from electrician's equipment, calibrated to find specific voltages and field patterns within an electra anomaly.
  • Given as a quest reward from Dog.


Even though SoC occurs after somewhat established conventions on finding artifacts, official documentation on which artifact are found with which detectors is scarce. Most of the information you will get from stalkers regarding what to use to find some artifacts will be hearsay. Only the more experienced diggers and research collaboraters will be quite knowledgeable about artifact detection.

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Lacedaemonius
Lacedaemonius

of course, for this to work artifacts can't be strewn casually about like in vanilla

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Eric_
Eric_

From a purely pragmatic point of view, I hope you'll make the NPCs related to the detectors invulnerable. Especially in Army Warehouse where everyone will sooner or later die.

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FatalFunnel Author
FatalFunnel

I'm not going to make them invulnerable, it's sort of a deal-breaker for me to do anything silly like that.

The detectors will spawn on the NPC's person, so if they do get killed you will be able to loot them without having to do the quest.

And, there will be a few of each type of detector hidden somewhere else in the game, I don't know whether they will be put in specific stashes, or on NPCs in remote areas, but I'll figure something out.

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