A.R.E.A. mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Atmospheric Realistic Expanding Addon (A.R.E.A.) is a standalone project based on Call of Chernobyl. It affects all aspects of the game with no exceptions, improving their quality and diversity. The main goal of the project is to create a more realistic Exclusion Zone taking into account the fact that it is a game, where each trip will be a unique and rough adventure. The addon in general adheres to the lore of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy.
Project use a custom fork of X-Ray Engine, which provides good stability and performance even on old PC's. A huge number of own ideas and features were developed, which totally changed the gameplay and reflect the author's vision of the Zone. In this world, lovers of easy gain and speedrun will feel uncomfortable. The addon was released, but it's still updating and enhancing. It was originally developed in russian, but we bothered to translate it in english, too.

• The addon is based on Call of Chernobyl 1.5 r7 assets.
• The game engine has used some improvements from OpenXRay, xrOxygen, OGSR, SWM and Lex Addon.
• Some features and content from Misery 2.1 and MLR 7.2.
• Used weapons models from STCoP 3.3 by Gaz1k, STCoM WP 2.8.0.7 by Sasha Tulunzhi, AO 3.1 and TAZ 2.0.
• Bad Ammo. It was used as a basis, seriously modified and expanded, own icons.
• Itemsoup Addon. (All items have been redesigned, both icons and their parameters, adaptation.
• Tent and hand generator models from Roadside Picnic 1.0.
• Some artefacts models from Phobos: Artefact Reloaded Mod.
  
• Axebeard's Fieldcraft. (Was used as a basis, seriously improved and expanded.)
• DRX Dynamic Anomaly 2.1. Functional and balance edits. Added new fields and types of anomalies and changed their spawn.
• DRX Questlines 1.25. Functional, balance edits, adaptation.
• New scopes textures from Morka 0.4, 0.5. Some grids were edited, some new was added.
• New types and models of mutants. Changed their meshes, sounds, textures and settings.
• Absolute Nature Redux 1.7d, some textures were used and edited.
• Structures Redux 2.5d, some textures were used and edited.

• New disguise system.
• Magazine system.
• Actor health system.
• New damage clasification system.
• Complete AI overhaul.
• Reworked save system.
• 3D sights and shells.
• Holographic sights.
• Full actor body in 1st camera, reworked movement and physical shell support.
• Reworked cameras and fully playable 3rd person view.
• New character animations and posibilities.
• New transitions system.
• New breath hold feature.
• New icons, redesingned UI and inventory. Added animated buttons in the menu, animated loadscreen and cursor, added buttons sound reaction.
• New redesingned inventory. Added inventory filters, new slots, scrolling tweaks, right side drop item section. Reworked weapon slots.
• New mutant hunting system.
• Inventory volume system.
• Interaction crafting system.
• Food spoiling feature.
• Dosimeter with posibility to mute sound.
• Skills and perks system with a tab in the PDA.
• New quests and dialogues. Reworked tasks system and conditins. NPC say what they want before you take task.
• Items order system.
• Complete reworks of all sound files. Audio were configured to create correct sound smoothness depending on distance, weared outfit, voice expresion etc.
  
• Summer Zone. Complete rework of vegetation, gamma, LOD textures and terrains.
• Added bodies collision, the helicopter explosion sound, new inventory slots and mechanics.
• New power supply system for electrical devices, like: flashlight, smartphones, detectors, NVG, sights, exoskeleton and protoexoskeleton.
• New enhanced animation system. Added animations for skinning all mutant parts, mask wipe, items usage, torch and NVG, open/close doors and other.
• New animations of opening and closing inventory, dressing a backpack, conversations, body search and trading.
• New dynamic music, consisting of tracks by Mick Gordon.
• New HUD effect, hud shaking and wetting. Over 14 new HUD mask overlays.
• Weapon overheating and enhanced shooting effects.
  
• Many new costumes: SKAT-9M, PC1-B, Army insulating suit, Master suit, Maskhalat, Old cloak.
• New artifacts and old ones from ShoC.
• New mutants, converted textures of mice, leshyi, Stronglav and other mutants, as well as some items.
• Expanded economy and trade with merchants. New ordering system of items, like the one from Nimble in CoP.
• Item dampness, depending on weather conditions and a backpack.
• Redesigned game start menu and options.
• Own system of disassembling outfits and weapons for parts, as well as repair.
• Reworked flashlight with posibility to switch modes, with camera inertion, and new textures.
  
• More than 300 new visuals for stalkers, as well as about 40 new outfits for these visuals.
• Irradiation of objects with radiation and the ability to deactivate them.
• Currency reward system. Added cash and wallet for sorting money.
  
• New features for unused items, as well as expanding the functionality of old ones.
• Our addon White Power 1.2.1 - Transform the zone in winter colors. A lot of work has been done on the visual and sound component of the addon to convey the winter atmosphere.
• Our addon Dark Flora - Transform the zone in autum color. A lot of work has been done on the visual and sound component of the addon to convey the winter atmosphere.

Sound:

• Added EFX and HRTF.
• Fully reworked sound component of the weapon part using the layers system. All sounds were replaced by new one and edited to fit current weapons.
• New natural ambient system. Standard day/night music shedule replaced by dinamic ambient patterns what play randomly in a specific area and create a new atmosphere.
• Dopler Effect.

Optimisation:

• Usage of all CPU threads.
  
• Disable textures loading in RAM, using GPU memory instead.
• Extended sound caching.
• Added CFORM, HOM and portals caching, significantly increases game loading speed.
• Particles optimisation and reworked play time.
• Reworked file system organisation and scripts optimisation.