Zone: Revisited (build 6) is now released! news

Current build version is: 6 (14.06.2013)

Recommended system specs:
Hard drive space: 2.5 GB for the mod / ~1 GB for archive
RAM: 4 GB or more (CoP RAM fix recommended)
Graphics card: GeForce 8800GT or better
Processor: Intel Duo Core 3Ghz or better
While most gamers these days probably have better computers, i still post these as the minimum requirements, since i was able to get ~25 fps on average with full dynamic lightning and medium graphics settings (the load on the PC is higher since of added graphics and scripts). Also, having full dynamic lightning (Dx9 required) on is strongly recommended.

Mods that have been incorporated in some form or another (e.g. used as a base):

• Absolute nature v3 lite
• Absolute structures v1.0
• Absolute scopes v1.2
• Absolute scopes widescreen-fix
• Ambient audio overhaul v10
• Dynamic HUD
• Improved Svarog Display
• Lootable money from corpses
• Lootable mutant parts v1.1
• M.S.O. v1.01
• Random weapon stash mod
• Russian audio mod
• Sound EFX v06-beta
• S.M.R.T.E.R. v0.41 alpha
• S.M.R.T.E.R. v0.41 options pack
• S.M.R.T.E.R. v0.41 weapon addon

Information about (some of) the features that the game now has:
Please note, that the feature list is incomplete, as i did not take note of every single small adjustment i made while creating each individual build.

//Graphics.

• Integration of the newest version of "Absolute nature (v3) lite" and "Absolute structures v1.0": now you can explore a more visually appealing zone, since these mods greatly increase the quality of textures and foliage models found in game, while also retouching some of the man-made structures. I chose the light version, since it has the least impact on performance, since no new foliage objects are added on map (it doesn't modify all.spawn and increase the polygon count as much as the normal version does) with only the current ones being replaced. The texture sets i chose were mostly "Dry" and "Rotten", since i believe that the zone should look dark and grim to add to the atmosphere.

Please note, that i didn't integrate mods like Atmosfear v3, since there already was a noticeable performance hit on my computer (and because doing so would cause incompatibilities and stability issues).

//Audio.

• Integration of the "Ambient audio overhaul v10" and "Sound EFX v06-beta": this was done to make the zone sound less repetetive and to provide the player with a better experience, since there is simply a huge amount of new sound, a lot of which are location and time specific, meaning that you will continually come across new sounds while playing the game.
• Integration of Russian audio mod: this decision wasn't easy, since there are no subtitles in the vanilla game and many of the westerners do not know russian, however i deemed adding this mod worth it, because the vanilla english voice acting is quite bad. This will make the characters sound more realistic (no more "HEEEELPHH MEE STAAAALKEEEER...") and even if you don't like it, it is relatively easy to remove.

//Gameplay.

• Integration and merging of "M.S.O. v1.01" and "S.M.R.T.E.R. v0.41 alpha": this is the flagship of this mod, since there is a huge amount of details added by these mods, also addition of a lot of other misc features (listed below):

Armor.

• Some of the default armor values have been adjusted, to provide somewhat more protection against the hazards of the zone.
• Most of the helmets have been made lighter.
• 5 new armor sets added:

1. Leather jacket - the first armor you got in ShoC, readded. Favourite clothing of novice stalkers, yet provides little protection against the hazards of the zone.
2. PtV-12 light armor - your new starting armor, used by military scouts that need to spend short durations of time in Zone. Provides protection that is comparable to that of Sunrise bodysuit, and is pretty light.
3. An old scientific suit - a more rudimentary alternative to SEVA, this can be used by novice artifact hunters (however you see pretty well in boiler anomaly how good it actually is :P) for exploring anomaly zones. While well below SEVA, it still proves worthwhile because of its affordable cost. It also can be used instead of SEVA when going to Pripyat (hopefully).
4. Am3 Exoarmor - the scientific suit is an alternative to SEVA, this is an alternative to "real" exo-suit of armor. You can now be a walking tank for just a fraction of the price. Sure, it may not stop bullets as well, but it still is a lot lighter and cheaper than the real deal, while being available much faster.
5. Mk12 mercenary armor - this suit of armor is used by mercenaries and now you can also access it. It is somewhat lighter than some of the other armored suits, yet provides good protection, although you can't use a custom helmet with it. Despite this, it has an integrated night vision device.

Weapons.

• Most of the weapons added by "S.M.R.T.E.R. v0.41 alpha" are present, however ALL of these now have a proper description and adjusted stats including recoil, accuracy, damage values and numerous others (such as jamming probabilities, weight and projectile speed), so that now these weapons are in balance with others found in vanilla game instead of overpowered trophies.
• Furthermore, they have balanced costs and even upgrade paths that suit them. Also, they can now be modified with many of the attachments found in the game.
• Of course, to encompass these changes, vanilla weapons also have changed stats, so some of the weapons now may handle differently.
• Also, a new caliber has been added for AK-47, FN FAL and a couple of other weapons.
• I also took the liberty of adding new sound effects for some of the weapons.

There is now a total of 60 weapons in the game now (including the buggy thrown knives which might have stopped working at all since build 4 :/, might patch later), divided in the following categories (sorted by base prices):

please note that some of the weapons are fictional, specialized versions of the base guns (i aimed to achieve gameplay balance, not historical accuracy)

--15 pistols:

1. Makarov Pistol
2. Officer's Makarov
3. Fort-12
4. PB
5. Browning HPSA
6. Colt 1911
7. Beretta 92FS
8. Colt 1972
9. SIG P220
10. Walther P99
11. USP Compact
12. SIG Pt221
13. Walther C109
14. Desert Eagle
15. AMT Hardballer

--7 submachine guns:

1. MP7
2. MP5
3. AK-47SU
4. AK-74U
5. XM177
6. FN P90
7. H&K G36c

--8 shotguns:

1. BM-16 Sawn Off
2. TOZ-34 Shotgun
3. Benelli M3
4. Winchester 1300
5. SPAS-12
6. SPAS-15
7. Saiga 12K
8. Protecta

--18 assault rifles:

1. AK-47
2. AK-47V
3. FN FAL
4. FN FNC
5. M16
6. AK-74
7. M35
8. Enfield L85A2
9. ZM LR 300
10. VSS Val
11. OC-14 Storm
12. SIG 550
13. AN-94 Abakan
14. H&K G36
15. H&K 416
16. SIG SG-551
17. XM8
18. FN 2000

--7 sniper rifles:

1. Gewehr 43
2. Dragunov Sniper
3. VSS Vintorez
4. SR-16 DMR
5. H&K 417 DMR
6. SVU
7. Arctic Warfare Magnum

--5 special weapons:

1. RG-6
2. PKM
3. RPG-7
4. Gauss rifle
5. thrown knives

Equipment.

• To suit the increased variety of weapons, there are now 2 different types of silencers: pistol and rifle silencers. Other than this, most of the new weapons still accept standart attachments found in the game.
• Also, there is a new type of thrown item: a flashlight, that can now be used to illuminate dark areas (battery should last for 2 minutes).
• Furthermore, 2 new items have been added - toolkits. These can either be bought or picked up from fallen corpses. They repair the currently equipped weapon or armor.

AI.

• NPC behaviour now has been tweaked: M.S.O. AI is present, zone now feels more alive, since more units are travelling. Mutants also now move in somewhat bigger packs, which now also cost of the cut mutants - cats, fractures etc.
• Engagements themselves take place over longer distances, however enemies no longer have night vision (unless they do :P), neither they hear you from great distances.
• Also, AI uses the thrown flashlights, however these are only favoured by lower ranking members.
• AI also has tweaked alert values, since previously it made no sense that AI would go into a combat stance if a grenade went off 60 meters away.
• They also switch out of the combat state quicker, so you can speak with quest NPCs without waiting long.
• It should also be mentioned, that the gear units use is selected randomly, the same goes for attachments weapons have. Of course, there are specific limits, such as bandits favouring Eastern European weapons, while stalkers have Russian weapons etc., but there should be A LOT more variety now.
• Condition of dropped weapons has been somewhat decreased, and the selling prices have also been halved (to balance the economy).

Game mechanics.

• Another AI related feature is AI recruiting - this was present in the M.S.O., yet disabled by default. I've tweaked this slightly and allowed you to recruit a personal bodyguard, which will now be able to keep up with you much better (sprints) out of combat. Of course, if you try recruiting someone in a safe zone, such as Skadovsk, it will probably not work.
• You can now loot money off of dead bodies (faction and rank dependent, yet the sums are small) and also try to skin mutants for their body parts (random chance of success), which can be sold later to the merchants.
• I had to remove the anomalies/stashes from S.M.R.T.E.R but to compensate for this i've added randomized stash content mod, so you will get different gear each time you play the game (added weapons included, random chance of presence).
• The game economy has been rebalanced - artifacts are now worth less (yet the effects are better, maybe slightly overpowered) and you won't be making a whole lot money selling looted guns, because they now are commonly dropped in worse condition (however you can probably use cheaper toolkit and turn a profit), furthermore, the selling prices are much lower, yet this is offset by the fact that NPCs will buy your items at lower condition, stalkers buying items at 40% and merchants at 60% or higher. A good way to make some money is to hunt mutants, possibly together with other stalkers, just remember to use "hunting weapons" such as shotguns (bm16, toz34, m3 etc.) to minimize costs.
• Another change is the effectiveness of medkits and food - now you need to eat at least 2 items for a full stomach and medkits heal you over longer time than in vanilla.
• Starvation now has a more serious effect on your stamina and health regeneration speed (it happens automatically now, while fed, yet is VERY slow), you also run slightly slower, while the maximal carry weight (for sprinting) now is 45kg.
• Besides this radiation is actually dangerous now, and the same goes for bleeding too.
• I should probably mention, that the character is less protected from bullets on ALL difficulty levels, while this isn't too drastic, this should motivate a different playstyle.

_{*sigh*, this is one long description.}

Interface.

• Svarog detector now has bigger dots (something that bugged me about vanilla).
• Another small change is addition of 2 notches to the equipped item condition bar - 1st bar means 40% (stalkers will buy the item) and 2nd bar means 60% (merchants will buy the item).
• There are now dynamic toggleable screen overlays for helmets, that should increase immersion greatly (different from the ones found in S.M.R.T.E.R.).
• Furthermore, i've added the bloodsplatter from S.M.R.T.E.R. mod, yet i've modded it slightly, so it would block less of the screen (and have a different opacity). If you don't like it, you can always disable it.
• Besides this, now absolute scopes have been integrated, complete with the widescreen fix.

There certainly are other features i'm forgetting, just play and find out. :D