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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
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Author:  Mach1.9pants [ 11 Aug 2007, 02:04 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl


Widescreen Grade: B
Ultra-Widescreen Grade: Incomplete
Multi-monitor Grade: B
4k Grade: Incomplete

Read Full Detailed Report - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter video game by the Ukrainian developer GSC Game World, published in 2007. It features an alternate reality theme, where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone in the near future and causes strange changes in the area around it. The game has a non-linear storyline and features gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with NPCs. The game includes elements of role-playing and business simulation games.

The background and some terminology of the game ("The Zone", "Stalker") is borrowed from the popular science fiction novella Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and the 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker that was loosely based on it, as well as Stalker, the film's subsequent novelization by the original authors. The term "Stalkers" was originally used for the scientists and engineers who explored the interior of Chernobyl's "sarcophagus" after its hasty construction in 1986.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the player assumes the identity of an amnesiac "Stalker", an illegal explorer/artifact scavenger in "The Zone", named "The Marked One". "The Zone" is the location of an alternate reality version of the Zone of alienation surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant after a second, fictitious meltdown, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora and the laws of physics. "Stalker" in the context of the film refers to the older meaning of the word as a tracker and hunter of game or guide.




4:3


16:10


16:9


3x1

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Author:  The_cranky_hermit [ 11 Aug 2007, 03:40 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
I'm going to be nice and pretend that this report is a placeholder. Let me know when you think it's rough draft quality. If I agree, I'll go over it then.
Author:  Mach1.9pants [ 11 Aug 2007, 09:33 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
I'm going to be nice and pretend that this report is a placeholder. Let me know when you think it's rough draft quality. If I agree, I'll go over it then.

Rough Draft posted. Thanks for the positive critique for a newbie :roll: ; help yourself to this new version
Author:  The_cranky_hermit [ 11 Aug 2007, 20:16 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
Thank you. Here's my comments.


==Supported resolutions==

What about these resolutions?
1280x720, 1280x800, 1440x900, 1920x1080

These either need to be confirmed to work, or listed under "untested."


==Singleplayer anomalies==

Of all of the anomalies, which one do you think hurts the game the most? For this anomaly, please provide comparison screenshots that demonstrate it.


==Aspect ratio support==

Please provide comparison screenshots of a 16:9 resolution and a 16:10 resolution.


==Cut-scenes==

Please provide comparison screenshots of the cut-scenes. One at 4:3, another at 16:10. Also, are there any FMVs?


== Grading ==

Calculated grade: C
Potential grade: B+

Major unresolved issues:
*waiting for your response*

Summary of widescreen-related flaws:
Stretched HUD

Cranky's coverage estimate: 85%
Author:  Mach1.9pants [ 11 Aug 2007, 23:47 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
2nd Draft ready for inspection... :)
Thanks
M1.9P
Author:  The_cranky_hermit [ 12 Aug 2007, 00:26 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
==Singleplayer anomalies==

Do either of these bugs affect the game at 16:10 or 16:9 resolutions?


==Cut-scenes==

Are you completely sure these aren't FMVs? The screenshots look pre-rendered to me, though I couldn't say for sure since you've seen them in motion and I haven't. Also, I suspect that these aren't stretched, but anamorphic. But since the shots aren't from the same place, it's hard to tell conclusively.


== Grading ==

Calculated grade: C
Potential grade: B+

Major unresolved issues:
Are 1280x720 or 1920x1080 supported?

Minor unresolved issues:
Are 1280x800 and 1440x900 supported?
Do either of the anomalies affect 16:10 or 16:9 resolutions?
How are the cut-scenes handled (requires matching 4:3 and 16:10 shots to know for sure)?

Summary of widescreen-related flaws:
Stretched HUD

Cranky's coverage estimate: 86%
Author:  Mach1.9pants [ 12 Aug 2007, 01:51 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
OK, will edit the DR.
Single Player anomalies: As stated Surround Gaming only
Cut-scenes: My error on FMV, the cut-scens are pre-rendered I thought FMV was the crappy stuff they did in the early nineties with real actors :oops: The shots were taken at as close to the same place as I could, I can't seem to pause the FMV to get exact same images. Sorry I don't have the expertise to judge between anamorphic and stretch
Cheers
M1.9P
Author:  skipclarke [ 12 Aug 2007, 02:20 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
I would recommend taking out the Surround anomalies (or at least the pics). It just looks cluttered, at least compared to the other DRs. I would certainly take out the Surround pic on the cut-scene.

Here are links to differences between Hor+ and Anamorphic. Anamorphic is usually letterboxed widescreen on a 4:3 monitor (think of widescreen DVDs).

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/Hor_plus
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/Anamorphism
Author:  The_cranky_hermit [ 12 Aug 2007, 02:30 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
Single Player anomalies: As stated Surround Gaming only

Oh. So, would you say that widescreen support in singleplayer is completely bug-free? If so, then I advise beginning this section by saying something like "None in widescreen, but surround has these two:".

My error on FMV, the cut-scens are pre-rendered I thought FMV was the crappy stuff they did in the early nineties with real actors

Those are FMV too. Some FMVs are prerendered 3D animations, and some FMVs are shot with a movie camera. Either way, the cut-scenes are stored and played as video files, which is different from being rendered by the game's 3D engine.

The shots were taken at as close to the same place as I could, I can't seem to pause the FMV to get exact same images. Sorry I don't have the expertise to judge between anamorphic and stretch

What I do when dealing with FMVs that won't sit still is to find a segment where the camera movement is slow, and take a whole bunch of screenshots over the course of a few seconds. Then I switch to a widescreen resolution and do the same. Then I look for the closest matching pair and use those. With your screenshots, the thing that suggests to me that these are anamorphic is that the standard shot has letterboxing, and the widescreen shot does not. But I'm not 100% sure that there isn't any stretching or distortion.
Author:  Gabbo [ 05 Sep 2007, 08:51 ]
Post subject:  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Detailed Report
1280x720
1280x800
1360x768
1920x1080

All work.
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