So, I'm finally running through S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. I played a bit at launch but took a break to allow for some patches.
I knew from back then that I shouldn't expect roaming packs of stuff or persistent NPC AI across the map. Fine. Got ambushed by a lot of random Military, I bore witness to random Bandits getting wiped by a huge gang of Snorks with both having spawned directly behind a truck garage - it was really funny to watch, though, not as funny to mop up the dozen Snorks...
But the thing which stung the most happened just now. I've been cutting the South-Western corner of The Cage at the Cement Plant to get to the region's South-Eastern corner to explore it. I knew I had the Machine Tractor Station at my 2 o'clock, and that's where the aforementioned Snork bonanza occurred, after it greeted me with 6 Bandits and two Bloodsuckers when I first got there.
As I exited the building site perimeter, I ran into a group of Loners coming from the South-ish. My mind instantly thought: "oh, that means the Tractor Station's clear, otherwise these peeps would've been loot fodder for the return trip." And I immediately realised that, no, it only means that they may have spawned behind the perimeter wall, out of my sight line.
And now I have to sneak through a ditch because I don't want more Bloodsuckers.
Update: decided to double-back through the Tractor Station when returning to the Factory (no way I'm going in a train depot with a Seva-D, thanks!), and, of course, killed 6 Bandits, got my ass chased away by two Bloodsuckers as I finished looting, which were ambushed by a dozen Snorks as I was booking it toward The Cage. Of course!
Yup there's a lot of cues they took from anomaly, but a little watered down. Which like I was saying makes sense, because they have to cater to the majority of players.
I'm not terribly far into the story. Just finished the garbage portion, but it seems to me like they're trying to loop more elements in from the novel Roadside Picnic, which is the origin of the whole concept the games, and the Tarkovsky movie Stalker, is based on. It's a great read if you haven't heard of it. And of course the movie Stalker is renowned for a reason.
In any case I love S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2. Are there bugs? Yes. Are there game play issues that need ironed out? For sure. But the fucking vibe is there in spades, and I trust GSC and the community to make this a game I play for a long time to come, which is easy, because I've been playing variations of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games for probably like 15 years at this point.
Yep, it really does feel like they wanted to capture the essence of Shadow of Chornobyl more than Clear Sky or Call of Pripyat, they went with the meat and potatoes. And it's a very smart choice for the shift to Unreal, perfect for a true-to-source sequel as well! Although the Reputation tab could've stayed in the PDA, it would've been useful (I still can't tell if the people at the Slag Heap like me).
I agree with you on the influences, I, too, have noticed them keeping closer to the books this time! But I honestly think it's a good thing they went for this after the Zone has been established and fleshed out by the first three. The book felt very "post-colonial" as well, and while the Zone having less of a history made it feel more alien, GSC's Zone is uniquely personal to them and it feels alien even when ducking in bushes next to a house which looks like my grandma's childhood home, trying to hide from a 7-foot-tall werewolf with an octopus for a face. In this case, the extra history works wonders because they went nuts with the anomalies and anomaly fields this time around, so it's like the Zone paradoxically got even weirder as it was being colonised!
As far as the film's influence, I think that's helped a lot by the leap in photorealism. Sure, some NPCs smile as though they're the bug alien wearing the Edgar suit in MiB, but the Zone itself is brutally gorgeous! It really feels like running through actual meadows and over actual hills, just like the ones we used to stalk as kids! And they cranked up the horror to 11, I nearly soiled myself when I saw the first Flesh literally flying at me!
And, yeah, the game'll be just fine. GSC really did give us a true S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Considering the beefed up mechanics and atmosphere, I'd say they even went beyond just "a true S.T.A.L.K.E.R.!"