Post news Report RSS Lost Alpha Status Report - September 2012

Today we have some news to forward. Rumours are that the release will be postponed until a further date. Unfortunately, it's true. We regret this decision, but here let us lay out the motivation behind this.

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Today we have some news to forward. Rumors are that the release will be postponed until a further date. Unfortunately, it's true. We regret this decision, but here let us lay out the motivation behind this.

There are several factors we took into consideration. The main reason is, the game engine was updated, and the last 2 months didn't seem to be enough to debug and fix a game, which was made for almost 5 years. We underestimated the time needed to make such a big project... The release date that you saw on ModDB was set sometime around January, after we published the New Year 2012 video. It's only our fault, that our guess was wrong, and we couldn't keep up the pace.

If we are talking about a dreamgame, our dream, we can not let gamebreakers hide in our files. We started to concentrate on fixing all possible defects, and with the help of pro stalker enthusiasts, we can test pretty much everything now... but it takes time. Our bugtracker and Dropbox folder is used daily more than the Moscow-Washington hot-line during the Cold War.


We are also cooperating with GSC for a long time. They were very kind and helpful. We listen to their advices, constructive critics, since they have more experience in gamedev than us. We've even got some never published materials from them, which we got green light to release for modders to help in the creation of new wonderful mods for this mythical game. Our cooperation has been fruitful so far and if everything goes like that in the future we all will have the game we dreamed about.


Harpy monster
made for LA by iwann

Old AK74 model brought back by Lijenstina (model)
and Cromm Cruac (texture)

We wish we could tell you all the things, which happened to us, or the features we added to the game so far but we can't do it at this point. OK, we will tell one, the multicore support for new CPUs. It's really hard not to talk about many factors, which also caused delay now. Believe us, we have a really good reason, which we will tell you about as soon as we can. Let the dust clear up a bit, and we - and definitely You - will be the happiest stalkers in the world.


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Setakat
Setakat - - 873 comments

New Mutants???
Multicore support???
*Faints due to sheer pleasure*

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Lоnerboner
Lоnerboner - - 8,303 comments

IKR?

I... I can wait the extra couple of months or even a year... This guys... this is amazing... I want to make sure each and every stalker on the internet hears about this .. game! :D

Well well well well done Dezowave team!

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Reapz0r
Reapz0r - - 58 comments

What does Multicore support do? I have an I7 overclocked 3.2 does it affect me? And if yes how?

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Lоnerboner
Lоnerboner - - 8,303 comments

YES! It adds multiple core support!

Stalker Shoc only used 1 core, so even if you had a i7-980 extreme 8 cores, it would only use 1. Now it will [potentially] use all 8 cores, making gameplay extremely smooth! :D something we always wanted for SHoC because of the big implemented level mods etc. Like LA! :D

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Reapz0r
Reapz0r - - 58 comments

I love S.T.A.L.K.E.R even with it's flaws...
But non the less nice to have. Though I'm more interested in content and gameplay additions :D

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Lоnerboner
Lоnerboner - - 8,303 comments

What? This IS part of the content!

What's the fun in having massive levels but slow loading times, or memory related crashes loosing valuable save games? Now we (hopefully) wont have that any more!

I wouldn't care about the rest of the content if I could choose. I would straight up choose for the multi core support :) The rest is just pure luxury from my standpoint.

Changing the engine... I think Florence was right after all ;) haha, though I don't think we will see DX11 in this, eh, Dez0wave team? :)

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Saint_Stan
Saint_Stan - - 417 comments

DAT HARPY MUTANT

Take all the time you need! I'll keep myself busy with I Am Alive and Black Mesa: Source in the mean time.

Gosh darn good work guys. Moar [sic] power.

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Gri3ver
Gri3ver - - 56 comments

Take your time team, im sure all of you will make your dream come true, and us, your followers, like the Stalkers we are, we will be waiting patiently because in the zone patiente is one of the things we need to survive! keep progressing and dont lost the hope! :D

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logan35
logan35 - - 92 comments

Still looks awesome guys, keep up the good work and soon all s.t.a.l.k.e.r. fans will have their dream game:)

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FlowersOfNaivety
FlowersOfNaivety - - 19 comments

Multicore support? Hopefully it shows. I was quite disappointed by the delay, but I've waited this long, I can wait a little while longer. Besides Black Mesa is being released and this month might not be the best time for another big mod release anyhow.

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Bolognius_Maximus
Bolognius_Maximus - - 619 comments

Trust me, it's really worth the wait. Lots of changes to the game engine.

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Zombik
Zombik - - 74 comments

i dont saw 28 september date at january

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boredgunner
boredgunner - - 2,067 comments

Q3 was listed in January. September 27/28 = Q3

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FlippyWarbear
FlippyWarbear - - 164 comments

Slightly disappointed at first but I know what it is like in the modding world. I've waited for this long, I sure as hell can wait for longer too if it means Im giving the devs valuable time to fix their dream. =)

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Chezzlor
Chezzlor - - 860 comments

A shame, but I believe when they say it will only add more features and quality I believe them. I can wait longer for this masterpiece and respect the effort in informing us the bad news.

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shivam121
shivam121 - - 255 comments

sad news :(
but hey, i can wait till the end of the world for this.... :)
good luck to la team! :)

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Cyrus_Crashtest
Cyrus_Crashtest - - 88 comments

Bad news is good news?

...aww that dez0wave! :)

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HavocStalker
HavocStalker - - 48 comments

By myself, i can wait, still hoping Earth will not be destroyed on 21-12-2012 ahahahahahahahah in that case, that day i will be enormously angry with you xD

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MemoHK
MemoHK - - 433 comments

So, in October the game will be shown to Sergiy and if he likes it, we will hear some good news. Hopefully about STALKER 2! :D

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Kocayine
Kocayine - - 274 comments

I've plenty of patience, so if those extra months will make it even better then I'd happily wait.

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Argoon
Argoon - - 1,077 comments

Sorry for my ignorance but isn't GSC dead, how can you guys be cooperating with them?

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dezodor
dezodor - - 3,643 comments

they aren't dead, who said that? no one. the rumors you see on random sites and forums... are never true, until you will see it on the main site of gsc gameworld :)

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MemoHK
MemoHK - - 433 comments

Dezodor, are you making any important changes to the game or you only try to fix bugs and errors?

Oh and care to explain about the multi-core thing?
If I play Call of Pripyat on DX11 with max settings how will the issue work for me? Where will I see the difference?

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zderzack
zderzack - - 5 comments

I just want You to know, Dezowave, that regardless of used game engine, whether it would be X-Ray 1.0, 1.5 or derived from not established Stalker 2 or even 10, how many cores it would use and whether area of maps could give me an opportunity to achieve polish border - I know, that i would play the best mod in entire computer games history. No matter if it would be within a month or whole year.

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Lacedaemonius
Lacedaemonius - - 510 comments

I'm curious... if bugs and a few select features are all that's holding back the release, why not just UL what you have as an open beta to solicit user feedback? Nobody finds bugs faster than the player himself, and a game this old can manage a serviceable framerate on most hardware no problem. If it couldn't, would the modding community really have lasted this long?

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zderzack
zderzack - - 5 comments

IMO it's not so easy: Hired (or in this occasion rather "declared") betatesters don't complain about bugs, they just report them. Imagine, if LA was put as public beta... There would be huge possibility of complanits, with no constructive feedback. And the game could be dubbed "bughole" or so... as a result, and nothing would help to get rid of that kind of sorry "label". Eventually bugs would be taken down by... pro betatesters, so there would be no added value for developers. Not to mention spoiling whole thing. And I guess there are other factors we can't know about.

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CrommCruac Author
CrommCruac - - 1,180 comments

And that's why we won't release public beta (among the other reasons) :)

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Erik313
Erik313 - - 459 comments

You can't rush perfection.

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Rus[T]
Rus[T] - - 1,161 comments

Don't care about a delay, this is the right attitude. There's so much good news and amazing media in this post, I love it! "We've even got some never published materials from them, which we got green light to release for modders to help in the creation of new wonderful mods for this mythical game.."=> Would really like some info on what the new materials are :)! Keep going strong guys.

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MorsTactica
MorsTactica - - 108 comments

While I am saddened, Black Mesa Source and Borderlands Two should keep me busy till this come out. Take your time.

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endi.volac
endi.volac - - 52 comments

Hehe, great news from the LA team! Glad to have heard it from them and not second hand rumours! Waited 4 years, can wait a bit more :)

Didn't think I could look forward to this mod more, apparently i can after some of those awesome hints about new material -> harpy!!

Great work team LA, hope you manage to sort everything!

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lukenxn
lukenxn - - 27 comments

I think the best thing about this is unlike most delays at least Dez lets us know whats going on. Most delays are just met by silence and a ****** off bunch of people (just look at wait in between Walking dead Pt1).

Happy to wait till this thing is pristine, cant wait to stroll in some new maps and kill off some more badass mutants. :)

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Kyle_K_ski
Kyle_K_ski - - 1,011 comments

The news that I just read is almost beyond belief.

Multi-core support? That alone would be a HUGE addition to the STALKER modding community. Seriously, can imagine how many modders who previously completed releases for the inferior 1-core support are going to return to modding to amplify what they REALLY wanted to do?

A whole new universe of potentialities will be made possible with the multi-core support. LoNer1 and many others, will be able to cram in much more of what they've been striving to do. Their "processing budget" will be hugely raised, and to everyone's benefit. Yay!

In regards to the Harpy design - I am SO happy to see a flight-based tactical threat being added to this game. It NEEDS it.

That said, as much as I like the Harpy's appearance, I feel that it would look more convincing if its feet had more details added to them, and the bottom of its abdomen turns inward too suddenly. It looks almost as if anatomical details where suddenly removed from the mesh.

My advice is this: STALKER is a mature title. Treat your audience as adults, and add the genital details that seem to be mysteriously, and awkwardly, missing. I'm NOT asking that its gender be clearly defined, but even if it was, why should it "freak" us out? In real life, dogs, cats, and birds aren't hiding anything, so why should this creature? It would help to make it feel more convincing, which would increase the level of immersion, which is always a wise design decision to make.

As LoNer1 said, if multi-core support is possible, we're going to be gifted with faster load times, and much more stable saves. And (hopefully) larger environments that don't feel as unnaturally confining. Maybe we'll get REALLY lucky, and we'll be able to carry around a handy pair of WIRE-CUTTERS to cut through the barbwire fencing!

:-D

Thank you for sharing, good luck all, and I am SO looking forward to this mod's epic release!

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N3uR0m4nT3
N3uR0m4nT3 - - 408 comments

>Treat your audience as adults, and add the genital details that seem to be mysteriously, and awkwardly, missing.
I agree. And make it big. Even better, make it huge. Just imagine that flying thing diving straight at you with a massive, erect *****.

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Kyle_K_ski
Kyle_K_ski - - 1,011 comments

.
.
Uh...I didn't exactly say that.

But hey, however one gets their kicks.

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Lоnerboner
Lоnerboner - - 8,303 comments

Holy ... I lol'd harder at this then I expected to!

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Dangerdane111
Dangerdane111 - - 136 comments

You guys take your time this great mod is worth the wait

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DoctorSpanky
DoctorSpanky - - 1,733 comments

Awesome! NP, I don't care how long I have to wait aslong as I'll get to play it eventualy, even if it takes many more years. It's going to be amazing that much is obvious =)

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0rpheus
0rpheus - - 433 comments

I can honestly say that I'm happy for this delay- this means that you guys are really taking the time to iron out all the bugs and make the first playthrough as enjoyable as possible.

Keep up the awesome work and take your time, no need to rush things. I'm sure that when you finally release Lost Alpha it will be worth all the wait :)

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CobraMad
CobraMad - - 225 comments

Actually, this LA is like a fourth episode for STALKER. Even if I was really excited about September, I can wait.
This story looks like so epic and immersive. I would pay for it, if it wasn't not free.

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adfjkndjklnhdfs
adfjkndjklnhdfs - - 820 comments

Great -__-

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Guest - - 688,627 comments

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crazyandypt
crazyandypt - - 8 comments

I have to recognize the level of your work in a scale from 1 to 10 being ten the top scale you're in an 11...i just hope it won't happen to you the same as in StalkerSoup, i am ultra curious about exploring those new implemented levels (Dead City, Swamps, etc..) but each time one of those levels is loaded, the game instantly crashes not "out of memory" crashes, that mod is all messed up, it has horrible graphics, vanilla even looks better, has horrendous ammounts of bugs and those new levels are there so that players can see them on the map, wish of you mod devs the best of luck and concentration on your work to not make a shitload mod like stalkersoup.

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nerdenfromsweden
nerdenfromsweden - - 273 comments

will this system spec work? 3way SLi GTX680 4gb, 16gb 2133mhz ddr3 and a i7 3770k 4.8ghz?

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