So it's 2019, and you want to play a game that's 12 years old. No problemo, this is PC gaming we're talking about, and in a community centered around PC gaming, we can make our own remasters. Enter my remaster (link to page here), in a thread where i'm going to selfishly promote a package that i've made personally by merging some of the best mods aimed specifically at three aspects:
- Fix bugs
- Massively improve the graphics
- Keep things vanilla and close to what the developers envisioned.
Credit goes to all the creators out there who made these mods:
- Zone Reclamation Project - Bugfixes
- Original Weapons Renewal 3 for SOC - better weapon textures/animations
- Photo Realistic Zone 2.1 - HD textures for environments/creatures
- Shadow of Chernobyl HD Models Addon - MUCH higher polygon models for humans. (released this year!)
Aditional mods used - custom ENB settings.
What i did was take all the mods listed above and merge them together into one tightly knit package that's flawless in its stability and easy to add (drag 'n drop).
Purpose of this package
The purpose of this package is a desire to share with the community what i think is a fantastic way to experience the game - it's purely vanilla, but with vastly improved graphics. This is practically a complete remaster of the game's visuals.
Preparation before adding the mod
- After installing Shadow of Chernobyl, run the game at least once. Before adding anything, you need to start the game at least once after installing it.
- Make sure that the render is set to Full Dynamic Lightning. If you see it at "Static Lightning", change it to "Full Dynamic Lightning". Save and exit. Enter the game again just to make sure it's set to "Full Dynamic Lightning". Once you're sure, exit.
- There's a file called "fsgame.ltx" in the main game directory. Open it with notepad, make sure that the game_data line is set to 'true', for example:
$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\
How to install
- Extract the zip file.
- Simply copy - paste the contents of the "XpressTuning" folder into the main game directory folder.
- Replace everything if required.
How to install (alternative*)
- Extract the zip file.
- In the XpressTuning folder you've extracted, there are three folders - "bin", "diffs" and "gamedata". Delete "d3d9_smaa.dll" from the "bin" folder.
- Move the "diffs" and "gamedata" folders into the main game directory folder.
- Move the "injector.ini" and "d3d9.dll" files from XpressTuning's "bin" folder into S.T.A.L.K.E.R's "bin" folder (the "bin" folder should be located in the main game directory folder)
- Now, move the remaining contents of XpressTuning's "bin" folder into the main game directory folder.
And lastly,
- Open "enbseries.ini". At [PROXY], disable both "EnableProxyLibrary" and "InitProxyFunctions" by changing the value from "true" to "false". Also delete "d3d9_smaa.dll" from "ProxyLibrary" and leave it blank. Save and exit.
*The alternative instructions to install should be followed if the first set of instructions do not properly apply the ENB !
Alternative download links (Google Drive): Standard Version|Non-ENB Version
The absolute best way to experience the game.
Recommended difficulty: Master. This is the most balanced difficulty level, and the way the game was designed to be played. Lowering the difficulty level results in weapons being far less accurate and doing less damage, which isn't good because that applies for both you and the enemies; as well as making AI less intelligent. Makes the game much more frustrating because it's not fun dumping a boat load of ammo. "Master" difficulty is what the game is meant to be played in.
Turn off the crosshair. In the Options menu, select the "Game" tab and make sure that "Show Crosshair" and "Dynamic Crosshair" are disabled. They're ugly and big, plain and simple, it's much better to have them off rather than clutter the screen.
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