1. Will you keep releasing patches for Shadow of Chernobyl even after Clear Sky comes out? How many will there be, and when can we expect patch 1.1?
As we have stated previously, right now all our efforts are directed at releasing Clear Sky. However, after this is done, the team will return to work on the patches.
2. How will enemies react to being wounded in certain limbs (limp, drop weapons)?
It will definitely be possible to tell how the enemy is wounded. Characters play animations of being hit, but one should not drop his weapon in battle. The weak do not survive in the Zone.
3. Will all locations with A-life work at once, without making you carry out all quests?
You do not need to carry out quests in order for A-life to work. It will work all the time and at all locations.
4. Will the DX8 renderer change (for the worse or for the better)?
The DX8 renderer will remain at the same level, the same as you saw it in Shadow of Chernobyl.
5. Will there be cooperative missions in multiplayer (for example, defend a point against monsters, like the Invasion mode in UT2004)?
No, there will not be such modes, but there will be teamplay.
6. Will bonfire shadows in CS be dynamic, or static and unreal, like in ShoC?
It all depends on which renderer you use. The better the renderer, the more effects you will see in the game, the more beautiful will the fire and raindrops be. With the 9th and 10th renderers, all light sources, including bonfires, are dynamic, with dynamic shadows.
7. Will the users who buy CS by Steam have the same freedom to handle the files freely, versions of the game and mods like those who buy it in his physical edition?
You will be able to freely use game files and make mods no matter how you buy the game, in a store or through Steam. We do not want to limit the fans, and we are very happy to see a growing number of talented people making interesting mods.
8. Will we see a demo before Clear Sky's publication?
No, there will be no demo version of Clear Sky. Not all that much time is left before the release, and soon you will be able to experience the full world of STALKER.
9. What specific graphical new features can we expect with the DirectX 10 support? Improved motion blur that is object-specific? Improved lights and shadows?
DirectX 10 will support such effects as volumetric smoke, fog, sunshaft, dynamic wet surfaces (rain), volumetric light, and soft shadows.
10. Are there any new features in A-life that is worth mentioning? Is the AI more "free" this time?
Clear Sky will have a more elaborate A-life simulation, there will be much great "freedom". There will be a faction war in the Zone, a struggle for territory. The player will be able to choose a faction he likes best and lead it to victory, weakening the other factions in the process. The stronger your faction becomes, the better ammunition the fighters will have. At the same time, we made behavior of regular stalkers in the game more live-like. You will be able to speak with practically every stalker, trade with him, or get a quest.
11. How will the different fights work between the different clans in the game? Will they be completely random, will you find them anywhere in the world or is there "battlefields?" where you know that there will be enemy clans?
The war of factions will often change direction. Transition points and resources get captured, unexpected attacks are carried out. It all happens randomly, and your actions affect events in the Zone.
12. In the single-player Mode, will the player be able to form a group, a "band", with some "friends"? In this case, will the player be able to lead his group?
The player can enter almost any faction and help them lead in the war, but, the player at the core a lone wolf and is used to rely only on himself.
13. In Shadow of Chernobyl the list of console commands hinted at some graphics features that the developers seem to have abandoned, due to difficulty of implementation or performance (global illumination, motion blur, etc.). Will these features be used in Clear Sky?
We found some interesting solutions that allow us to get the same effect as global illumination, but with a much smaller performance hit. We use the deferred shading technology, which has many advantages, but does not allows us to implement motion blur.
14. One fan-made video from a game exhibition (Igromir?), mentioned the Depth of field (DOF) effect. Will it really be used in the game, and how (only while aiming)?
DOF is actually used in specific places in the game, for instance, during reloading.
15. Can we complete the game without joining factions and/or ignoring the quests?
Yes, if you want, you can choose to not participate in the faction war. Also, if some you dislike some sidequests, you can finish the game without them. Of course, the main character has a certain goal and mission in the game, and it will have huge significance for all stalker and the Zone itself.
