Aug 27, 2021

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Pablo

Hello Stalkers!

For some time now, we’ve been showing you how Chernobylite looks today and what both the media and the players themselves think about it. Today we want to show our game from a completely different angle. For this purpose, we’ve put our team members in front of the cameras to tell about the backstage of their work on the game. And there is a lot to talk about.

We have said many times that the story plays a huge role in Chernobylite. However, if we delve into the history a bit, we discover that - as Wojciech Pazdur, creative director says, - the game is primarily about interpersonal relations. Małgorzata Płatek-Brix, our lead game designer, talks a bit more about this. - At this time, every decision counts. Even if it seems like a simple one, which theoretically doesn’t change anything in the game, because you can choose who you are nice to or not. Despite this, companions hear your conversation and can react accordingly, so the decision makes some impact on what happens to the world in the game - she says. Therefore, it was very important to us that the relationship between Igor and his companions was of key importance. We also had to provide all sorts of methods to take care of it.

We know that the game characters, their backgrounds and motivations appealed to us from your reports and numerous reviews. However, nothing beats our stories from inside the Zone. The first trip in 2015 was a real adventure. In addition, it is very tiring. - We drove to Ukraine by car and we had lots of gear with us: huge photo lamps, floodlights, power generator, petrol canisters. It was really interesting. The road was long, tiring, we were stopping at the borders, they were checking papers, permissions, asking “why are you carrying crash helmets?” - recalls Katarzyna Pazdur, scanning and costume artist. And that was just the beginning.

If someone thinks that a photo shoot in the field is easy and pleasant, they are grossly mistaken. In addition to carrying a ton of photographic and film equipment with you, you also had to get up very early every day, take care of good, natural lighting, an atmospheric place and many other things. There were also problems with the weather. - I remember that once it was around 0 degrees, so very cold. I was wearing all the jackets we had, jumping out of them when we were doing photoshoots and then jumping in those clothes again, just not to freeze - says Joanna Tarasek, 2D artist, and our model of Tatyana. But there were also some scary and funny moments on the set. So it was impossible to complain about boredom.

From all these trips to Chernobyl we took a whole lot of photos and videos, but most importantly also memories. These have been preserved in the walls and in the things left on the spot. - There are places destroyed by fires, buildings that just collapsed or will in the nearest 3 or 4 years. They will just disappear. But they will still live in our game, recreated in the best way possible today - says Michał Mierzejewski, lead 3D artist.

That's it for today!

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Aug 20, 2021

Weekly Report #85

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Pablo

Hello Stalkers!

In the previous report, we looked at selected Chernobylite reviews in gaming media. Many of them were positive for us, although there were also words of criticism in them, whether regarding the mechanics of the game or its other elements. Today we want to look at the opinions of those whose opinion we value 100 times more than from the media. Namely, yours.

So far you have put our game almost 5 thousand reviews, of which the vast majority (over 80%) are positive. There have also been some critical voices, but we're not going to turn a blind eye to them - we're taking them into account as much as possible in the Chernobylite patches etc., and even for our future projects. Thank you once again for all votes, and we’re asking for more!

It's time to see how you rated our game after its premiere. We'll look at a selection of Steam reviews. Ready? Let's go!

PLOT

The first thing that pops into your reviews is how you rated the storyline in the game. Most of you found it exciting and suspenseful. You were especially positive about making choices throughout the game and how it has a huge impact on the plot.

“Very, very interesting and exciting. And you have a lot of "own leeway" to even shape the story yourself - absolutely brilliant. You even had the feeling at the end that you really "did the right thing" with your own conviction, and that felt damn good. Many, many thanks dear developers for this "intense story", which was just really fun!”
SɢᴛFᴏᴘᴘᴇʀ

“The story is great, I really got attached to my squad mates. I genuinely got worried when they didn't come back from a mission, and I genuinely wanted to know more about them and what made them tick. And without spoiling too much, this all culminated into a great ending sequence almost akin to Mass Effect 2's suicide mission, where a ton of your choices throughout the game all come together and affect things in all the perfect ways. (With a Fallout-esque tapestry ending and everything) Chernobylite is by far one of my favorite games of 2021, and I cannot wait to see what else these devs pull off in the future.”
VortexMars

“The choices genuinely matter, and with the way the plot progresses, you question them all the way up until the end. I found myself having to enter the death chamber in my base multiple times just to balance my choices, so a certain companion didn't reach terrible status. The story immerses you from the start and keeps you immersed throughout the end, and manages to deal with interdimensional subjects and explain it to where you can actually understand it. You end up caring for every companion, to where if one of them dies or disappears (yes, this can happen pretty easily if you aren't careful) you feel awful. Everyone has their own motives, has their own past, and all feel like real people.”
Jiggmin10

“Chernobylite exceeds all my expectations going into a story driven game set in modern Pripyat. Each of the five supporting characters have excellent story lines that are interconnected with your own and one another’s. Each story line is multilayered with choices that affect the outcome of the given moment and future, these choices have an effect not only on the story line in focus but other supporting characters too, so choose wisely and take into consideration past and potential future choices. There is so much more to the game it would be hard to give it all justice, in short the companion, hideout and mission select systems remind me a lot of ‘This War of Mine’.”
^4JB^7L^1ZR

There were also voices on the other hand - the story was accused of being linear, and that it lacks depth, and the side missions - to put it mildly - are disturbing. And some found the ending unsatisfactory.

“The story itself is interesting, but it isn't deep, and the characters are arch-typical Slavic tropes who thankfully have some interesting things to say. Expect a lot of real takes about the fall of the Soviet Union, real world conflicts, and bleak philosophy in some quality Russian voice acting or...awful English. The main narrative is interesting, but as shallow as a puddle, with a plot twist directly taken from STALKER.”
Isabelle

“The story-line is extremely straight, the world looks scary only first two hours, then you would just run and kill everything as non-stoppable machine. Some events are so schizophrenic, that, make you uncomfortable. Game have so much of "let's do this to get that, but next step is still locked because it is not a time to unlock it yet" that drives you mad, you would run on the same locations over and over again. The ending it does not give sufficient free will, and it's pure "WTF".”
svx

“The story was disappointing to me personally, as there is a correct way to play the game. That way is to make the wrong decision over and over and go back in time to fix your 'mistakes' until you make the right one. It does tie in well to the story, and the ending is a lovecraftian loco interdimensional hoopla that some people may find shiny and enjoyable, but the minute to minute game was meh.”
GOAT James

GRAPHICS

You also devoted a lot of space to graphics in your reviews. You especially praised the realistic representation of all the visited places, as well as their lighting, which strongly influences the atmosphere.

“The photo-scanned environments are amazing, far more detailed than I ever would have expected.”
VortexMars

“The game is gorgeous despite some of the textures showing lack of detail, the way the world is created through lighting, shadows, foliage, ambient occlusion and other effects such as fog, mist, time of day are what make this game look as good as any.”
^4JB^7L^1ZR

“Regarding the maps, I can say that the developers really made a lot of effort to implement Chernobyl true to detail, which was also implemented very well and authentically for the most part. You can tell that the developers were really on site and wanted to bring a lot of things into the game 1-to-1. Props for that!”
SɢᴛFᴏᴘᴘᴇʀ

“The graphics are gorgeous and the character animations, in my opinion, feel rather natural. The way the lighting and weather system work are nothing short of beautiful. Even on lower graphics settings, this looks like a Triple A game.”
Colt

However, not everyone liked it. Some said directly that the game looks great on the screenshots, but not really in the game itself.

“The screenshots are not actually representative of what the graphics in the game are, you can find on YouTube many content creators running maxed with maxed rigs, it looks nothing like the 'photos'. This is obviously concept art that they're advertising.”
Clarity

“The graphics are very, very basic. It reminds me of old Metro Exodus. The screenshots make the game look nice, but when you actually playing it, it isn't that great.”
Zakky090

“Graphically, the game looks like Modern Warfare except with worse animations.”
eboyarama

AUDIO

The audio layer of the game was also widely commented on by you. You especially like the soundtrack of Mikołaj Stroiński's highway. Warm words were also spoken in the context of sound design, which, combined with visuals and Russian voice-overs, builds the atmosphere in the game.

“I'm having a great time! It's got great ambience and atmosphere! The Sound Design is insane! Well Worth the money! Love it and can't wait to see more from these devs!”
The Messenger B

“Tatyana voice lines scared me more than the game itself. And I hate the little girl giggling in the shack, scares me to bits.”
sevenn

“Great production values, especially the voice acting and sound design.”
RedDevSe7en

“Atmosphere and music? Phenomenal, the first time you step into the open map... UGH, unforgettable. Great sound, great music, great ambience, great ideas! Keep going fellas”
A COOLER NAHYON

“(...) sneaking down through ramshackle corridors, among leaves and cracking twigs while slowly immersing yourself in the eerily soothing ambient music unique to each level - you won't notice the downsides”
Sailenthropus

But even in this area, not everything was perfect. While a lot of you praised the game for its great Russian voice over (greater immersion), the English version received mixed ratings.

“The (English) voice-overs aren't great. A number of them sound as though the actors simply read the lines off a piece of paper, hoping for the best, and never actually interacted with one another, or fathomed the tone, context and setting.”
Lycaerix

GAMEPLAY

In short, what is the backbone of Chernobylite. This consists of, among others, building a base, crafting, fighting enemies, sneaking... Everything that was supposed to bring fun to the player. Here you gave a real show of writing - you wrote down to the smallest detail about what you liked, what could be improved, what to add, what to give up. We got reading for long evenings.

“The gameplay and environment are super immersive as well. Base building is fun, although I wish we had some more space in our base. The survival aspects are well-thought-out to make resources on your mind, but not so much that you can't focus on the story. The stealth is well-made, and it always feels like your fault when you get caught. The gunplay is much better in the full release. All the customization and the 2 futuristic super guns make it so when you do go guns blazing, it's still fun. The armor is nice, although making plates for it was annoying. Gearing up your companions was a logical thing to do, and becomes more essentially the latter in the game you go. Upgrading skills was really nice, even if some companions had much better skills than others.”
Jiggmin10

“Gameplay-wise, the game features an intelligent and solid combination of different game mechanics that, although they don't stand out for their originality, do because of how well they are combined. Chernobylite is not focused on killing or shooting - despite being allowed, but does reward and encourages strategical, non-lethal, and stealth-based play styles. The gameplay needs your patience and is strongly focused on the best management of daytime, weather, resources, and player inventory.”
RodroG

“The main thing that surprised me was the amount of mechanics and gameplay loop. It's more akin to Deus Ex than STALKER, as you go from managing a base in a sort of lite version of Fallout 4's base building (but nowhere near as obnoxious) where you place objects individually to make up your base that all require resources you get while on missions, and manage stats of the base and the companions that live in it with you. Afterwards, you send said companions on missions with lots of modifiers, and take one up yourself that sends you to a Deus Ex style area, not an entire map but a small sliver of one that you're free to explore and carry out the mission as you choose. Gather resources, talk to people, kill enemies, do the objective, then you return. Repeat and watch as the story unfolds, and all the while prepare slowly for the heist at the end and obtain clues for the (very necessary and highly recommended to do) dream sequences that unfold the story further. Absolutely worth a purchase. Great game, and I wish that we'd get more experimental but polished experiences of the AA middle-market level like this like we used to.”
looking for small dads

“Chernobylite is an absolutely beautiful game that manages to set itself apart from other games that also take place in the Zone, and does so incredibly well. It does so with some interesting gameplay concepts that you don't really expect from a Chernobyl game, and management/base management style gameplay on the side.”
EvilApple

“Chernobylite is a surprising game. It's an amalgam of different gameplay, features, and even genres. On paper, it sounds very odd, and in reality it works surprisingly well. There's a bit of everything, and while your mileage may vary, it offers a very good balance of everything. Everything is wrapped up in a beautifully crafted atmosphere. I feel I got more that I bargained for. The base-building/management part is rather satisfying, the survival aspects are "asynchronous" (This War of Mine style), meaning you get the good of psychological pressure, without minute-to-minute micro-management. Overall, the gameplay is chunked in a way that allow you to focus on a single type of experience at once (during a mission, you play a more classical/stealth FPS, etc.), meaning each different gameplay don't step on each other's toe, allowing you to effectively don't care so much about the part that don't interest you so much, if any.”
Nebukam

“The gunplay is decent. The sneaking and general gameplay is pretty good, but exploration and discovery are the primary attractions.”
RogueThrax

“There are a lot of gameplay mechanics in Chenobylite, and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. However, by the end of the game, they all feel pretty simple or shallow, but I appreciate that they all worked. In my opinion, this is the game where the rough elements are worth overlooking. The developers focused on the right elements to make sure the overall product is fun, and I look forward to seeing what they release next.”
jjbruch

“It's fun. Limited bugs (physics) but no game breaking problems. Story is fun, gameplay is also fun. Focus is much more on survival and resource management than combat, which makes sense for the setting and adds to the atmosphere. Great sci-fi with branching choices that matter significantly.”
Uncanny Danny

And how do YOU rate Chernobylite?

Take care, Stalkers!

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Aug 13, 2021

Weekly Report #84

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Pablo

Hello Stalkers!

In the previous report, we gave a brief overview of what happened with Chernobylite from the game's Early Access release to its full PC release. It's time to give a voice to those who checked our game and issued their verdicts. Let's take a look at what reviewers wrote about Chernobylite.

“Chernobylite is a curious mash-up of ideas orbiting a pretty stiff first-person shooter, not unlike The Farm 51's previous game Get Even. But where Get Even felt like a game that couldn't get its ideas in order, coming across as aloof in its attempt to tell a poignant story, Chernobylite does a much better job of welcoming us into its world.”

PC Gamer

“I won't spoil any of those climatic moments, but Chernobylite's a genuinely good time, folks. The ease of the crafting and the management side of things might lack depth for some, but it does give you a constant sense of satisfaction as you bring goodies back to base and watch it grow. Similarly, the simplicity of its party management ensures balancing their needs doesn't detract from the fun roguelite loop it's got going on. The Chernobyl wilderness might be distinctly "bad vibes" here, but Chernobylite the game gets a big, irradiated thumbs up.”

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

“It’s easy to recommend Chernobylite to Stalker fans – The Exclusion Zone has never looked better, and an ambitious choice-lead approach to storytelling means that your decisions always have very tangible consequences. Despite this, a repetitive formula and shortcomings with the base building system prevent Chernobylite from taking that last great step to irradiated greatness.”

NME

“I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Chernobylite and I look forward to replaying to discover the multiple conclusions it offers. It’s a great example of a dedicated and talented team of developers and an early access success story. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of the multiple genres it spans or even if you just find the mystery and dread surrounding the exclusion zone interesting. At the very least, you’ll get to see what the rapid evacuation of 50,000 people does to a city, without the risk of radiation poisoning (or worse).”

WellPlayed

“While Chernobylite definitely has some rough edges with its AI quirks, the lack of hip-firing, and some performance issues, the game is ultimately a great experience at the end of the day. If you're a fan of all things Chernobyl and you want something to play while you wait for STALKER 2, I can't recommend Chernobylite enough. It's easily one of the best PC games of 2021.”

Windows Central

“Chernobylite can give the impression of a small overgrowth of form over content. The creators wanted to include a lot of elements in their work, fortunately most of these things do fit here, and any rest can be easily ignored. After exploring some of the best-crafted locations in the games and getting a satisfying ending, the feeling is just very good. It's true that you can see a smaller budget and other limitations - there are no cinematic cutscenes, and the village in Zona scares with static characters stuck to their places. In return, however, we get several hours with a solid AA game. If someone lacked proper gameplay and freedom in The Medium - here they will get enough of it with equally good graphics and an extremely atmospheric aura. Until the premiere of the second part of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., fans of exploring the Chernobyl Zone will not find anything better.”

Gry-Online.pl

“There’s no question that I should have initially given Chernobylite the benefit of the doubt, primarily because the game – even in Early Access – has already been a hit with players, currently sitting at a “Mostly Positive” Steam User Rating prior to its full release. The past few months, especially, have seen an uptick in positive scores, giving a clear indication that the developers have been taking community feedback to heart and implementing the things that players want to see in the final product (beyond any technical fixes).Chernobylite is special. If you enjoy RPGs that feature things like crafting, base building, team management, and heists, the ambitious Chernobylite is one that you won’t want to miss.”

TheGamer

“Chernobylite offers a deep survival game experience that offers elements of sci-fi, horror and RPG. It’s hard to call this a survival horror title, but all the management aspects and the branching storylines will provide fans of the survival genre plenty to enjoy. There are only a handful of areas to go to and while they’re decent sized, enemies tend to respawn in the same location upon returning to the location. The atmosphere could have gone a different direction, but the visuals and environments are undeniably effective. The visual design in the portals in particular are something to marvel at. With a structured base of a game with varying options to keep players coming back, Chernobylite is worth checking out.”

Hardcore Gamer

“Chernobylite may look like it's a cheeki breeki away from being a full-on S.T.A.L.K.E.R tribute act, but The Farm 51's shooter isn't quite a retread of irradiated ground. While aesthetically the two games are interchangeable, sharing core stylistic motifs like mutants, anomalies, oppressive weather, and a certain nuclear power plant that had a bit of a mishap in April 1986, structurally they've mutated in quite different ways. (...) It was little surprises like this that kept me invested in Chernobylite whenever my attention began to drift. I'd endure a couple of survivalist milk runs and start eyeing the quit button, but then I'd have to pull a companion out of a building filled with hallucinogenic gases, or be forced into a protracted fight with the NAR because I'd stumbled into a radiation hotspot while trying to sneak past. It's not a thrill-a-minute game, and the structure is as much a hindrance as it is a help. But when everything comes together, Chernobylite clicks like a dosimeter near the elephant's foot.”

Eurogamer.net

“Chernobylite showing the twists and turns of the story of Igor, a physicist who wants to find his beloved, showed the potential of the native team. In the reviewed production, almost all mechanics and ideas have passed the test and it's hard to look for elements or problems here that would spoil the positive reception of the game. The Poles threw the 4A Games gloves (to the team responsible for the Metro series), showing the claw and announcing to the Ukrainian creators that they would fight fiercely for the first place on the podium in the "best survival horror" category. The people of Gliwice have a lot of credit of trust with me and I hope that in the future they will offer more single-player positions, where making nightmares is a formality. If in the future there will be additional content developing the adventure of the Ukrainian stalker (the creators intend to support their eye in the eye also after the premiere), I will definitely return to the exclusion zone and try to beat my nose with other enemies. Mandatory with Russian dubbing which came out amazing. Congratulations, The Farm 51.”

PPE.pl

“Chernobylite’s tapestry of intertwining mechanics treads a fine line between being a half-hearted effort and an obnoxiously complex one. That being said, it’s not for everyone – and it shouldn’t be. While its story elements are heavily hampered by uninteresting characters and the campaign littered with a number of repetitive quests, the moment-to-moment gameplay is brutal in the truest sense. Its unique implementation of choice and consequence allows for a number of divergent paths that bolster its replayability. It’s an enjoyable experience, albeit a flawed one.”

Gamingbolt

“Developers The Farm 51 have woven a fascinating, twisting, mysterious narrative and placed it in a highly ambitious first-person, sci-fi/horror, survival RPG. Chernobylite explores technological advancement (mostly its dark side) and the human cost of experimentation — relevant themes when using Chernobyl as a backdrop — as well as the importance of maintaining your humanity in dire situations where immediately, it might be easier not to. The story is set in the trappings of a political spy thriller, along with some Lovecraftian horror to keep you up at night, in an atmosphere that’s not so much dreamlike as it is hallucinatory. (...) Chernobylite is a solid game with a thoughtful story, enjoyable characters, memorable scares, and amazing design. You have freedom in the directions you want to go with crafting and leveling up, and the narrative choices you make feel meaningful. The game keeps you constantly engaged, as it always feels like there’s an important mission to complete or something to take care of around the base. The mystery is fascinating all the way to the end, and the main narrative doesn’t overstay its welcome, feeling spot on at a tight 20-ish hours. If you’ve ever wanted to tour the Chernobyl area but were afraid of the radiation, here’s your ticket to some of the sites, with some monsters tossed in to keep things lively (or deadly). So what are you afraid of?”

RPGFan

“Chernobylite is hard to define, but you should definitely not treat this game as a successor to Stalker or just a classic FPS. Here, the story and the mood play the first fiddle, and other gameplay elements, though numerous and rich, are only a supplement to the former. By approaching the game this way, you will forgive it for a certain monotony or a few less successful patents. And I admit that I admire Farmers for their ambition and common sense. They grabbed a lot of magpies by the tail, but measured their intentions and brought them back as a result. They balanced all the elements of the game in such a way that they built a very good game out of not always good pieces. Respect.”

Gram.pl

That's it for today!

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Aug 12, 2021

Major Patch - Bug fixes and improvements

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Legileg

This patch focused on resolving the most important technical issues. Relax, we hear your calls for Black Stalker tweaks or the possibility of slower walking. The time will come for them. Also to announce our plans for the future ;)

Technology:

We fixed a rare crash caused by the game renderer. As a result, the game should now run more stably on slower computers.
We've improved thread management. This should solve the stuttering problem that has occurred on some CPUs.
We have resolved a rare issue with an infinite loading screen that occurred with a specific event setup. Thanks to everyone who gave us their saves!
We have updated DLSS to the latest version.

Additional:

We've added some new events at different levels. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to polish them for the premiere, but we didn't want to throw them away. So – hocus pocus - some new stuff for you guys!
We have added a significant missing piece of the script in the Ukrainian language version.

Improvements and feedback:

Turning off head bobbing now also affects camera wobbling when looking around. This should significantly improve the experience for people with motion sickness.
After loading saves, the resources were randomized in the places that have already been visited. It was confusing and allowed the players to cheat the game. Now, the resources are randomly selected during the start of the level and are permanently saved in the game save.
Sashko's recruitment quest started very late, so we've improved his probability a bit. So now Sashko should join us faster.
During a manual save, a message appears informing about how long ago the "state of the game" was saved. Unfortunately, the info expresses the time in minutes, which made it say "0 minutes" most of the time, making it highly misleading. Now time is expressed in seconds.
We have graphically improved a few places. Now finding the lockpick places should be a bit easier.
Weapons lighting for dead soldiers in indoor spaces has been improved.

General:

The self-renewing railgun magazine should now function properly.
Evgeniy refused to sell us the loot box during the Old Hideout mission. We persuaded him to improve.
Before the "death mechanics" tutorial, the power plant explosion will no longer use up the adrenaline from your backpack.
The deserter cheated on us in the trade and sold us the weapons without upgrades as upgraded. We had a serious conversation, and he should be more honest from now on.
We still have no clue how some players manage to lose Portal Generator. For now, we've added checking each time the save is loaded if the player has the necessary equipment, and adding it in the event of a bug, so now, at least loading the save should fix the problem. Still, we would appreciate any hint as to how you lose the Portal Generator.
We fixed the timeline bug that blocked the player if the player died at a certain point in Voice from the Woods
We fixed a few events that triggered multiple times even though they should have been triggered once
We fixed a rare bug where the build menu could get stuck and could not be disabled
We fixed some typos in the script
We fixed a bug in Some Excuses where we would get stuck when approaching Semonov with Build Mode enabled
We fixed markers on the Crumb Trails quest. They broke if we skipped one stage of the quest
Collisions on the roof of the hospital entrance have been corrected, and the note will no longer collapse under the mesh there.
We fixed the collapse spot on Red Forest.
One type of fence stopped projectiles, but it shouldn't. We fixed it.
We removed some untraceable resources from the Moscow Eye.

Aug 3, 2021

Chernobylite vs Reality - Video #3 - The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Chernobylite Complete Edition - All in! Games || Lukash

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is a focal point of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a now desolate area that was once full of life and hope. The city of Pripyat was founded nearby to house the plant’s workers and their families; the ninth “atomgrad” (a closed city) in the Soviet Union. They had no idea what the future held in store for them.

The power plant consisted of four RBMK-1000 reactors that produced about 10% of Ukraine’s electricity. Construction began in 1970 and was planned all the way to 2010 with a total of 12 reactors. The explosion of reactor No. 4 in 1986 buried those plans forever.

Like many great catastrophes, the Chernobyl disaster didn’t come without warning. Several dangerous incidents took place in the early 1980s, earning the Chernobyl power plant the reputation of “one of the most dangerous nuclear power plants in the USSR'' according to the Moscow government.

In 1986, a string of costly mistakes caused reactor No. 4 to finally explode and the Soviet government was very slow to react to it. It took a day to start evacuating nearby Pripyat. It took three days to tell the world, and only after Sweden demanded to know why they were getting abnormally high radioactive readings in Stockholm.

After the reactor fire had been contained and rubble cleared, reactor No. 4 was hastily covered by a steel and cement structure that was built in less than 8 months with liquidators working in 5-7 minute increments. In 2016, the aging structure was covered by the New Safe Confinement steel sarcophagus; it’s this structure that’s featured in Chernobylite.

What may come as a surprise, reactors No. 1-3 remained in operation even after the explosion of reactor 4—the Soviet Union couldn’t afford to shut the plant down both service-wise and financially. Yet 1991 saw a turbine fire in reactor No. 2, leading to its permanent shut down afterwards and the final nail in the power plant’s coffin. It was the same year Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union and, now run by ambitious reformers, both internal and external pressure was put on finally shutting the fickle power plant down. In 2000, the plant produced its last spark of electricity.

Life continues and time is very slowly healing the Exclusion Zone’s wounds. Today, tourists can visit the Chernobyl Power Plant, and recently they can even step foot in the infamous reactor No. 4 for a very brief moment and in protective clothes.

Have you been to or plan on visiting Chernobyl? Play Chernobylite and see what you can expect in the 3D scanned recreation of the area.

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Jul 31, 2021

Weekly Report #82

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Pablo

Hello Stalkers!

The big day is finally behind us: the premiere of the full version of Chernobylite on PC! We hope you are having fun so far.

We’ll continue the journey to 2019 that we started a week ago to show you what the beginnings of Chernobylite looked like. Refreshed and ready? Well, let's go!

Where would I go?

People who are just starting their adventure with Chernobylite may feel surprised at what they’ll see now. Because the way Igor embarks on his first mission is very different to what you see in the latest version of the game.

After cleaning the lower tier of the base, we should go to the upper floor, listen to Olivier's sermons and then choose the mission we want to go on. Meanwhile, in the early version of the game it was as follows: before we go to the upper floor, we’ll be stopped by a voice from the radio (Mikhail or Tarakan) asking us for help. After a short cutscene, we go up the stairs to the first floor, and we’ll be stopped by Olivier, who, instead of giving advice and telling morals, will turn his nose and wonder if we should trust strangers. This is the first visible difference. But it isn’t everything.

We avoid the board, which, as we know from the previous report, was only a decoration at the beginning and go straight to the mission selection screen.

Apart from the appearance of the UI and the fact that we were able to start the story mission (in the newer version we give players a moment to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics), pay attention to the number of places we could visit. To put it mildly, it doesn’t knock you down. One map, Pripyat Port, was still in a very rough condition.

Currently, this map is finished, and we’ve added more - Pripyat Central with the famous Lenin Square and Red Forest with a village on its very edge. The last map is especially noteworthy, so we have devoted one of the latest reports to it. We've also added some additional maps, not available from the mission selection level, but also of significant importance, such as the NAR prison, fractal worlds, the power plant from the mission "The Heist". In total, throughout the Early Access period, we have made available to you 10 new places that you can visit.

Here we go!

We chose a mission, it's time for a short walk...

...first event...

...and the first fight.

We must admit that in the game in Early Access we tightened the screw tightly when it comes to the level of difficulty: not only does Igor go into the field armed only with a revolver, he may also encounter quite a large group of NAR soldiers.

Not only that, we could even come across Shadow. It would not be surprising if it were not for the fact that a) it appeared outside the buildings, b) it appeared during the first visit to the Zone. Remember: we are armed only with a revolver. And death clearly marked the failure of the mission.

Yes, surviving in the Zone was not an easy task. All these experiences have given us tips on what new mechanics to introduce to make the game a pleasure, not just anger and frustration.

First, we've given you the option to choose the difficulty level. The higher the level, the more difficult the combat becomes, less resources can be found in the field, and it becomes more difficult for both our and our comrades to survive. For the most persistent, we recommend the Insane level. Why? More on that in this report.

Secondly, we've expanded the weapon set with a whole host of upgrades and modifications. And so, in addition to the revolver, you can also make a rifle, shotgun, Chernobylite Blaster, Anti-Chernobylite Burner, and the latest toy that you received after the premiere - Railgun. A powerful weapon that can make a lot of mess. Plus, we've provided you with a wide selection of armor that can be crafted to protect yourself in combat.

Third, we have also introduced the build system outside the base. Thanks to this, it is possible to create traps, control threats, the amount of monsters and radiation in the field. By the way, we've made a ton of changes and fixes to the base build system: not only have we added new stuff to build, but we've also given them new modifiers that affect our companions. There are also more stuff that can be crafted.

And another, perhaps the most important thing - the fractal world, which is an integral part of the game. Thanks to him, death in the game is not the end, but rather the beginning to correct the mistakes of the past... or spoil the future.

Of course, it’ll not always be easy and pleasant. For balance, we've introduced a few new monsters to the game - the fast Chernohost and the arachnid Duster, as well as several types of NAR soldiers, including the tough as hell Heavy Armored Soldier. If you want to attack him with a revolver in hand, we can only wish you good luck.

As you can see, Chernobylite has undergone a considerable metamorphosis in less than 2 years. What we have listed above is just a tiny bit of what we finally gave you on the day of the game's premiere - you can find out about the rest of the new stuff and changes on our dedicated website. However, theory can never replace practice. So we can do but encourage you to dive into the game and see for yourself how far we've come with our humble project, which has just left Early Access.

That's it for today!

Take care, Stalkers!

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Jul 28, 2021

Chernobylite is available in full version for PC!

Chernobylite Complete Edition - Pablo

Hello Stalkers!

It's been a long road, but we finally reached the finish line. When we released Chernobylite on Early Access, even in our wildest dreams we couldn’t foresee the extent to which a project created by a small group of enthusiasts would grow.

Today we’re giving you the full version of Chernobylite!

How much the game has changed in Early Access?

We extended the game time three times. Now it takes an average of 25 hours to complete it.

We expanded the game with 15 new story missions, as well as numerous random events in all locations.

We’ve introduced 11 new characters. In addition to side characters such as Konstanty, Locksmith, Semyon, Vagabond, Volodya, we’ve added a new companion to the game - Olga

We supplemented the game world with 10 new maps. Including: prologue, Pripyat Central and Red Forest, NAR prison.

We've added new enemies: 4 new monsters and some new variants of NAR soldiers.

We’ve given you 5 new weapons with a whole range of upgrades at your disposal.

We tossed in a whole host of technical and gameplay improvements, such as character development, weapon and item crafting, difficulty levels, improved enemy AI etc.

The soundtrack for the game was composed by Mikołaj Stroiński, known among gamers as the author of music, incl. for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

...and many others.

All the work that we’ve devoted to the game consists of:

35,000 scanned 3D models
7,000 lines of dialogue (that's 110,000 words!)
100 days spent in the Chernobyl zone
14,000 bugs fixed
countless feedback from our players

All this work was certainly not in vain.

What's new?

Those who have the game in Early Access will be happy that we've made a ton of bug fixes that were caught by us, as well as those that you reported to us on the Steam forum. Thanks again! But these are not the only novelties we’ve prepared for the game's premiere.

Technology:

In cooperation with AMD, we have fully implemented FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0
We improved memory management that could cause micro stuttering on slow HDDs and weaker computers.
We have resolved the various crashes that were reported to us. The game should be more stable.

Additional:

Heist level Finished: It is now 3 times longer and can be completed from start to finish in many different variants.
Game ending: You can end the game in several ways and see an outro depending on your decisions.
New weapon: Railgun. There are too few weapons in chernobylite? So here is the kinetic cannon. It uses the power of Chernobylite to instantly energize the coils and use them to create an enormous electromagnetic field that gives the projectiles great strength and speed.
New base structure: Railgun Calibration Tools. It will allow you to create 14 upgrades that will have a considerable impact on the operation of the Railgun.
Photo mode. The Chernobylite world is a great place to take some photos. We decided to make it a bit easier for you ;)