We invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we will regularly publish videos dedicated not only to Chernobylite, but everything related to it.



As promised, in this week’s report we will cover the process of scanning individual objects. If you look at the characters in the game, you'll notice that most of them have fairly standard stalker attire: clothes covering the body (well, except Sashko) and a mask. That second element really stands out. The masks are most distinctive and most associated with post-apo climates. No wonder. Everyone knows that a stalker without a mask is like Chernobylite without multiplayer 🙂 (I expect standing ovation for this joke).

Finding a gas mask, scanning it, and dropping it into the game may seem like a simple task, and to some extent, that is what has occurred. However, for some of the more important masks, adjustments had to be made. You have no idea how much time and work went into creating the Black Stalker mask. A hint: it was a based on a field hockey mask.



We will show you what we are talking about using Tarakan as an example. His mask does not resemble anything you would find in a survivalist store. It's quirky, slightly elongated and features horns. That's exactly how we wanted it to be. The mask was supposed to capture the complex personality of Tarakan; a man who’s been through a lot and has seen a lot in his life. There was one problem however: the mask was supposed to be based on a World War I era specimen and we simply couldn’t order it anywhere. Luckily, we were able to recreate its distinct look, thanks to the concepts found on the Internet (photos and drawings).

The mask was sewn from pieces of non-organic leather and a gas mask.






The next step was creating the horns. These were made from a plastic mass. As you can see in the photo, we had the right reference materials for this ;)



The horns were then painted, first with colors and then with old nail gel. Finally, the whole thing was fixed with UV light.

All in all, the whole operation - creating the mask, the horns, as well as sewing the hood and adding the distinctive white hair to the costume - took about a month. When the mask was complete we scanned it into the game. If you are curious to see what the whole process looked like in motion, feel free to watch this video :)

Take care, Stalkers!




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We have repeatedly discussed the process of scanning the buildings within the Zone, as well as their interiors. However, we don't recall ever mentioning how we transferred the people themselves into the game. So it's time to catch up. We will describe step by step how a person existing in reality gets into Chernobylite.

To scan the character we use a device commonly called a RIG, which consists of:

• 114 Canon cameras with zoom lenses
  
• a stable rack of aluminum tubes, forming a circle with a diameter of 4 meters
  
• flash lamps
  
• devices responsible for controlling the scanning process, i.e. hubs, automatic synchronization
  
• computers that collect and process data

Why do we need so many cameras? By mounting them on a rack, we can fine-tune the field of view and overlap of each camera's images. This allows us to pinpoint areas of interest within the frame for a specific pose. Based on the collected data, an accurate 3D model can be obtained for further processing. This process is what we call photogrammetric scanning.



The scanning process itself differs depending on whether we are scanning the whole figure or the face alone. We position a female or male model at a designated stand within an installation consisting of aluminum tubes and cameras. The individual can stand in the middle of the facility in their regular attire....



...or in full costume, as our primary models did.



The models differ in their physiques, so care must be taken to properly frame the cameras under each person. The next step is Focus, which means sharpening the image and triggering all the cameras at once while flashing.

After a single "firing", the process of downloading the data to the computer's disk begins - these are images from each camera and saved in RAW format. Then graphic processing takes place (for example, in a Lightroom). The processed and saved images (as JPG) are then imported into a photogrammetric application that allows the creation of ultra-realistic 3D models from a set of images (RealityCapture or Agisoft Metashape). This is where the magic happens: based on the collected materials, the program is able to create a HiPoly mesh, a dense detail mesh with a faithful representation of the image.

At this stage, the 3D scan is taken over by the graphic designer responsible for the game's characters, who optimizes the mesh to a simpler form so that it can be more easily used, for example, when creating animations.




This is how it’s done. Stay tuned next week, and we'll show you how the unusual mask of one of the companions was created.

Take care, Stalkers!




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Before we begin, we have a small announcement for you. The Base Builder Fest has begun! If you haven't yet had a chance to play Chernobylite or any of the DLC we've released, now is the perfect time! The game and add-ons are available for 50% off!



You can find more details in the post below:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3673282587167465603?l=polish

And while we're on the subject of building bases, we have to admit something. When we were getting ready to announce another discount, we did a little research. We wanted to see how you guys decorate your bases and include the best of them in the announcement above. However, looking through your screenshots, we came to the conclusion that they are too good to include in any ad. Therefore, we will promote them in our report instead :D

We will start very modestly, just like Cuddletauren. There may not be a lot of ornaments and objects, but the most important things - a turntable and a small TV - are in place as much as possible.



And on the other side is Epsilon and his fully furnished apartment. And yes, we're not afraid to say "apartment," because this frame looks like it was pulled alive from some home decor catalog.



marc_ea firmly and resolutely separates the work in the workshop....



...from the duty of tending his garden.



YURIKAGO, on the other hand, acted differently: he fenced off his workstation and the place for plants with a net. Maybe there is less space because of this, but it is also more cozy. And also you can break away from the computer for a while to look after the plants.



And to top it all off, REAPER and its RGB climate base!



And that's all! If you want to learn more about the history of the Chernobylite base, we encourage you to read the following report :)

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3501014738141094819?l=polish

Take care, Stalkers!




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Stalkers!

We know very well that among you there are fans of crafting and expanding the base. Dwellings, gardens, workshops - we have seen a lot of your ideas on how to change the base in Chernobylite. Therefore, on the occasion of Base Builder Fest, we have a special offer for you!

From January 23-30 you will be able to buy Chernobylite: Enhanced Edition for half price!



But that's not all! The 50% discount also applies to all DLC for the game:

• Autumn Dread
  
• Blue Flames
  
• Deadly Frost
  
• Red Trees
  
• White Rose
  
• Zone Bard
  
• Bundle Charity Pack
  
• Soundtrack
  
• The Art of Chernobylite

If you haven't had a chance to play Chernobylite until now, now is the best time! Play Chernobylite with DLCs, build your base and don't forget to show off your results!

But that's not all! In our Steam Points Shop you will find new graphics - avatars, frames and backgrouds with the Chernobylite theme that you can buy with your Steam Points!

There's still more content to come. Check out the updated roadmap here.




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The third week of the new year has passed, and we are slowly going back to reality. However there are a few unfinished matters from the past year to sort out, so it's time to handle it. Lately, you've been inundating us with lots of questions, and we've been trying to answer them all. It's not an easy task, especially given the multitude of channels through which you reach us. Therefore, we decided to collect the most important questions and answer them here and now.

It is true that we originally announced the release of Season 4 for the fourth quarter of last year. However, in the course of our work, several things happened that we needed to address urgently. One topic in particular occupied our attention. What was it? That we can't reveal yet ;)

Nevertheless, to avoid any suspicions, we immediately inform you that the release of Season 4 will take place later this half-year. Our roadmap has been updated and you can also be sure that we will gradually reveal the contents of the new package in the coming reports.

So as you can see, Season 4 will be available a little later than we planned. But we think it will be worth the wait. Especially because along with Season 4 we are preparing something else for you. But on this subject we are silent as if under a spell for now.

We receive from you technical questions related to the game no less than questions about Season 4. It's good that you let us know about the problems you have with the game - we are always ready to analyze all reports and fix bugs. However, we are not able to catch all the submissions. The reason for this is that you write to us about them EVERYWHERE. Twitter, Messenger, Discord, or even messages on Instagram. It is not uncommon in messages we receive from you, for technical issues to be raised, but they are most simply lost in the maze of inquiries on various topics related to the game and not only.

Therefore, we have a request to you to report all problems with the game, errors and bugs to us in a dedicated forum on Steam. This is a great convenience for us, because all the reports are in one place. And our team is constantly reviewing all the posts submitted by you.

Chernobylite released, Season 4 along with a surprise on the way. So more and more questions are being asked about what's next: what are our plans for the future? Will the Chernobylite project be further developed? Are we planning a sequel?

Probably the easiest and quickest way to answer all these questions is as follows: it is far too early to say anything about it. Which doesn't mean that we are sitting in our chairs and picking our noses ;) We are doing something there, we are planning something here. But what will come out of it in the end?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Please, stay tuned ;)

Take care, Stalkers!




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A week ago we posted on our Twitter a photo of one of the stray dogs that kept following us in Chernobyl. As is usually the case with photos of dogs and cats, the Internet was instantly filled with love. However, a few of you were quite surprised. Are stray dogs living in Chernobyl? Yes, they are. Many of them, actually.



After the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, about 120,000 people were evacuated. They were told they would be able to return to their homes in 3 days, but that was not the case. And the worst part: the residents could not take their pets with them.

After the evacuation of Pripyat and the Exclusion Zone in the spring of 1986, Soviet Army soldiers were sent to shoot and kill the animals left behind (reportedly, residents left note cards on the door with pleas to spare their animals). However, it was not possible to catch and slaughter all the animals in the entire Exclusion Zone. After a while, they migrated to the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where their descendants remain to this day.



It is estimated that several hundred homeless dogs live in Chernobyl and its vicinity (there are also cats, several times less than dogs). However, despite the generational history, it cannot be concluded that it’s an ideal place for them to live. The greatest threat to the animals is not only radiation, but above all the lack of food and harsh winters. Most dogs simply freeze or are unable to cope with the competition for survival with other, stronger animals (dogs are driven from the forest to the power plant by packs of wolves). It is hard to find dogs older than 6 years; most rarely live longer than 4-5 years.

Every year, new puppies are born, which are taken care of by employees of the power plant: they feed them with the remains of their own meals, bring them indoors so that they can survive the harsh Ukrainian winter, and treat their wounds. At the same time they expose themselves to rabies by interacting with dogs. In total, it is estimated that more than 3,500 people interact with more than 500 stray dogs roaming the power plant site.

Dogs are also supported by guides. They set up small shelters where the animals can eat leftover food and find a place to sleep during the cold nights. However, these people wish they could get more humanitarian support for these animals.



But the power plant workers and zone guides are not the only help that Chernobyl dogs can receive. The American non-profit organization Clean Futures Fund (dealing, among other things, with veterinary assistance for dogs living in the exclusion zone) has launched the Dogs of Chernobyl program. Its goal is to reduce the population of Chernobyl dogs by sterilizing them. In addition, the animals undergo medical examinations and vaccinations. The program also includes cats that also require care. The authors of the project claim that for the last several years they have observed a drastic decrease in the number of stray animals inhabiting the zone, which means less suffering.



One more question that begs answering: can Chernobyl dogs be petted? Although quadrupeds are generally friendly towards zone tourists and the temptation is huge, it is worth sticking to the applicable rules and keeping your hands to yourself.



Take care, Stalkers!




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We are slowly recovering from the New Year's Eve festivities and planning brand new content for the coming months of 2023. We are preparing for you a lot of new and interesting things related (but not limited) to Chernobylite ;)

For a good start, it's worth paying attention to our YouTube channel this year, which we've been rebuilding for over a month. In conversations with our community, we noticed that Chernobylite is often a kind of catalyst: you play the game and then you want to know more about the Exclusion Zone. Therefore, after internal talks, we came to the conclusion that we will share this knowledge with you. This was partly done in Reports, so why not try it on a larger scale, in a more accessible and also eye-pleasing form? Since then, we have been publishing scientific materials focused on topics around the Chernobyl zone quite regularly.

In the first material, we introduced the topic of the Chernobyl power plant disaster with specific numbers. Thanks to this, we were able to better explain the most important issue in the most understandable way.



The second material was definitely more difficult. It concerns the history of liquidators - people who sacrificed their health and lives to remove the effects of the catastrophe.



In the next video, we presented the profile of Valery Legasov: the scientist who was given the extremely important task of investigating the causes of the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.



This movie is one of our favourites. We approach the HBO Chernobyl series by asking the question: how close is this series to reality?



Now it’s time for some chemistry lessons. We answer various questions about radiation in Chernobyl, e.g. how far does the radiation reach, what is the risk of contact with it, where does it come from, etc.



Another video will be released on our channel today. We won't spoil too much, you have to see for yourself ;)



Take care, Stalkers!




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With the New Year just around the corner we will devote these last hours of 2022 to make a short summary of what happened in the last 12 months.

Last year was as intense for us as the previous one. We started it with a bang: the announcement of free content for Chernobylite. When the game was in Early Access, we promised you that we would support the game by adding a lot of free and paid content to it. Words must be kept. That's why throughout the year you received a solid package of fresh content as Enhanced Edition: new locations, weapons, events, as well as new game modes. And it's all for free! We also have added some cool paid content like weapon skins and decorations for the base. Of course, we don't stop there - in 2023 we will launch the 4th (and the last) Season called "Black Smoke". What will it contain? You will find out soon ;)

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3123807918453795623?l=polish

We also introduced some changes to the Weekly Reports. Preparing weekly entries is a pleasant task, although with a certain caveat: we have to answer the question "what players would like to read about" all the time. Sure, we could tease you about the content of the next DLCs over and over again, but we know from experience that after a while you would quickly get fed up. We would probably too. That's why we ensured a lot of variety.

Therefore, in the Reports you could learn about key elements of the game (not only parts of DLC), interesting facts related to development, the backstage of the game, from the smallest details to larger initiatives (e.g. a trip to Ukraine for new materials like Cooling Towers). We also presented to you some previously unpublished materials, as well as broader descriptions of historical and scientific curiosities included in the game. You also learned about various inspirations for the creation of Chernobylite. There was a lot of it, and we enjoyed your lively reactions to Weekly Reports' varied content. We will not be slowing down next year either.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3118180956268140697?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3118181596900049384?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3114807061130444084?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3114808330546765723?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3203756329339831651?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3199255277322232884?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3199254625398340530?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3359137488085261121?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3385037625314274984?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3359142561368304114?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3257812203964904878?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3501014738163668332?l=polish

The year 2022 was very important to us, especially for one reason. For many months, the eyes of the whole world have been focused on Ukraine. The moment we heard about the outbreak of war, our hearts broke. We have been going to Ukraine for years and met many amazing people there. While creating our game, we got very close to Ukrainians, their history and culture. We couldn't stand idle. We launched fundraisers, we contacted people we could help, we also helped innocent civilians who seeked help while escaping the war. All this would not have been possible without your support, our faithful community. For your support - moral and material - you deserve a huge thank you!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3114806614742443246?l=polish
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3114808330563550066?l=polish





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Like we mentioned in the last report describing the history of the Mi-8 helicopter accident, there are still wrecks of various vehicles in the Zone. Helicopters account for only a percentage of those wrecks. We even managed to digitally capture some of them for Chernobylite, as you can see in the pictures below:









But believe us, what you see in the game is just the tip of the iceberg. Come with us! We will show you around the largest vehicle cemeteries in the Exclusion Zone.






Liquidation of the Chernobyl disaster, evacuation of the population, decontamination of the vicinity of the power plant and the 30-kilometer zone, construction of the Sarcophagus - these are just some of the tasks that required the involvement of over half a million people. A huge number of vehicles was also needed to conduct those operations. Today, many of them rest near Chernobyl and Pripyat, covered with rust, irradiated, unfit for use.

There are quite a few places where you can find large concentrations of abandoned vehicles in the Zone. One of the more famous is the vehicle graveyard “Buriakivka” in Chernobyl, some 4 kilometers from the power plant. This place was the main drop point for irradiated equipment immediately after the explosion.



"Buriakivka" was put into operation in 1987. It owes its name to the village of Buriakivka, whose inhabitants were resettled to neighboring areas after the disaster at the nuclear power plant. The burial place of the vehicles was designated and developed by scientists from the Leningrad Institute. They used drawings of designs of above-ground radioactive waste repositories as blueprints for Buriakivka. The choice of location wasn’t random either. The village is located at a sufficient distance from water bodies and settlements and it meets all the strict requirements for the storage of radioactive waste. In addition, “Buriakivka” was located on one of the hills, more than 20 meters above the groundwater. In the event of a crack in the shell of the repository excavation, radioactive substances would penetrate into it very slowly - for many hundreds of years.

The vehicle cemetery measures 1,200 x 700 meters, is surrounded by a fence and has 30 ditches in which many radioactive materials and equipment that took part in the liquidation are buried. The walls and bottom of the excavations are covered with a meter-long layer of compacted clay, acting as the main barrier. After having been placed in the trench, the radioactive materials were compacted with a bulldozer. The trench was then filled with another meter-long layer of clay, sprinkled with earth and planted with perennial grasses, thus fulfilling a protective function. The size of each such pit is 150 x 50 meters.



Another storage place for the machines was located on the site of the former German airport, near the village of Rassokha. In this place, endless rows of various military equipment were stored, including military special equipment, tractors, fire engines, Mi-8 and Mi-6 buses and helicopters. According to some sources, there were over 1,600 vehicles of various types. Rassokha was originally intended to be a PVLRO (Point of Temporary Localization of Radioactive Waste). However, cleaning the machines would take a lot of time and resources, so the easiest solution was to leave them and simply wait for the radioactive decay to lower the radiation levels on their surfaces. After sufficient time has passed, the equipment was to be deactivated, restored and restored to its intended use.



Unfortunately, this is never going to happen. Since 2000, many of these vehicles have been cut up for scrap and brought to metallurgical plants in Ukraine. Some have been plundered. In 2006, the complete liquidation process of “Rassokha” began and lasted until the end of 2012. Equipment that could not be salvaged for various reasons was transferred to “Buriakivka”. On the site of the former "Rassokha" you can still find remains of vehicles cut into pieces.

We move around the country and get close to the city of Pripyat, where we come across the abandoned Yaniv railway station, also known simply as the Yanov station. The station was built in 1925 and lies in the village of Yanov (demolished after the Chernobyl disaster), south of the city of Pripyat, and is part of the Chernihiv - Ovruch railway line.

In 1986-1987, the railway line from Chernihiv to Yanov was reconstructed to serve Chernobyl personnel. The line from Yanov to Sławutycz was also electrified. In 2000, one of the tracks passing through Yanov was restored and modernized, and then used during the construction work of Shelter-2, a new sarcophagus for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.









At the moment, the line is not used, it has even been partially dismantled. The entrance to the station building is now closed, but the area itself is not completely abandoned however. Currently, the station is owned by the state-owned enterprise "Chernobylservice". Also, some of the old wagons are used as houses for metalworkers. Currently, there is one main railway track, three shunting tracks and several maintenance tracks for the storage of old and rusty rolling stock.

The last point of our trip is the city of Pripyat itself. After the explosion at the power plant, the inhabitants had to leave their homes within a few days. Within a week, Pripyat, once a prosperous planned city, was deserted. Almost. Dozens of tanks, helicopters, armored personnel carriers and heavy trucks brought in by the military to help with the liquidation of the effects of the explosion at the power plant were left on the site. There are still plenty of them.

However, the most famous place where you can find wrecks of vehicles is the garage of the previously mentioned state-owned enterprise “Chernobylservice”. This is the truest museum of abandoned heavy engineering vehicles in Pripyat. Trucks, tanks and machines are slowly rusting and falling apart in the parking lot of an old garage. Previously it was a car repair shop where locals brought their Ladas and Volga cars for repair. After the explosion at the power plant, the site was taken over by the “Chernobylservice” and was used to store the vehicles that were used to clean up the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.






fot. UrbEx.nl

We are not exaggerating when we call this place a museum. There you can find ZIL and MAZ-537 trucks and even the IMR-2 tank. The IMR was an armored engineering vehicle based on the chassis of the Soviet T-55 tank. It's a sight to behold.

Today, all these places look impressive - as if taken straight out of a post-apocalyptic picture. And we had the opportunity to see them with our own eyes.






Take care, Stalkers!




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Stalkers!

On the occasion of the upcoming Christmas and New Year, we are starting a special winter sale. In this special offer you will be able to buy Chernobylite: Enhanced Edition for half the price!

But it is not everything! The 50% discount also applies to all DLCs for the game:

• Autumn Dread
  
• Blue Flames
  
• Deadly Frost
  
• Red Trees
  
• White Rose
  
• Zone Bard
  
• Bundle Charity Pack
  
• Soundtrack
  
• The Art of Chernobylite

So if you haven't had a chance to play Chernobylite so far, now is the best time. But not much - the offer lasts until January 6th!

There's still more content to come. Check out the roadmap here.




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