Comments - user5000

Try increasing page file size, set it to two or three times your RAM. Run as admin and disable desktop composition and visual themes. And please next time provide relevant info such as system specs and addons to help others help you ;)

"...no sign of any inter fighting between groups on NPCs, never saw that happen in my last playthru"

That only happens at a few specific checkpoints on each map.

"Also, SOMETIMES, the enemy would be shooting at me but he's looking in a different direction, and yet his bullets still hit me."

Yes this is a bug in the un-modded game, not RealMode

that is just a bloke running around an empty level shooting puddles. not much of a concept.
where are the a life, anomalies, buildings?
just dubbing some stalker music on does not make it a concept.
you must think we are idiots.

No-one can confirm if it will use Unreal engine or not at this stage.
Original devs of the xray engine are probably not available now. It may be a good choice to use Unreal because it's a ready solution to be built upon rather than build a new engine from start, is C++ like xray, and the Unreal source code is available so with some talent and skills it could (probably) be as good as a new xray. or maybe not heh.

"...but STALKER 2 has a guaranteed fanbase."
So did Star Wars but that didn't stop George Lucas and Disney making five sh*tty prequels and sequels.

(But I'm still excited about this)

No probs. there may be some textures in textures/glow and textures/internal, check the spot_texture and glow_texture lines in light_night.ltx

configs/models/objects/light_night.ltx

I appreciate your efforts, I know it's a tough one.
But I would if possible like to see some better NPC AI and behaviours - rather than fake gimmicky animations - to add challenge.
For example you can put a grenade into a group of bunched up NPCs and they don't react. In another game I like called Stalker, try it and they will scatter for cover.
The NPCs don't use mounted weapons enough - when you attack a checkpoint and there is a perfectly good heavy machine gun mounted there on a truck, but they jump into the drivers seat and crash into the nearest tree.
They could use grenades more to flush you out, work as a team to flank you.
Let them use molotovs and flare guns to set fires and make you break cover.
Maybe when you got deeper into the engine you could try these things.