A Life Controversy in Stalker 2 Is More Complicated than You Think
Many Stalker fans are confused about A-Life implementation in Stalker 2. Players can’t agree if the feature is in the game or was cut off.
Stalker 2 is not a bad game (check out our review) but it will take some time before it will be polished. As of now, there are many technical issues, which influence the gameplay (we have prepared tech review). Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish a bug from a feature, like in the case of the first artifact, which you have to collect. The similar case is with A-Life system. Many players believe that it was removed from the game. Is it true, though? Let’s look at this case.
- What A-Life in Stalker 2 is
- A-Life controversy in Stalker 2
- A-Life in Stalker 2 Update – Official Announcement
- Stalker 2 Guide
What A-Life in Stalker 2 is
Let’s start with the basics, what is A-Life? It is a system which makes the Zone alive. Its purpose is to simulate a living environment – random encounters and busy world even without player’s interaction. In the official FAQ we can read that:
Often, the game world exists only in the player's field of view. A-Life 2.0 is a simulation system for life in the Zone. Factions and mutants are fighting for living space, migrating, capturing new places, or retreating to safer areas. A-Life is what makes Zone truly alive and unpredictable.
Theoretically, it is a nice idea, making the world better. However, how does it look like in the game?
A-Life controversy in Stalker 2
Some time ago fans were quite surprised by the fact that A-Life mention on the Stalker 2 Steam page was replaced by AI paragraph:
Advanced artificial intelligence systems that will keep engaged even the most hard-boiled players ;
Immediately, people became suspicious. However, GSC Game World team member on the official Discord channel reassured that A-Life 2 is still in the game and the new phrasing is “marketing text with new shiny words”. So, everything is in order, right?
Not exactly. as the system seems to not be what players have expected it to be. It looks like it does not simulate the whole Zone at the same time, rather, it creates a bubble around the player, a large one, but still a bubble. So, fans believe they have been deceived, especially if we look at description from the FAQ.
Of course, for immersion reasons, it would be ideal for the whole world to be calculated, thanks to that the Zone would be more dynamic. However, the game right now has problems with performance and high requirements. Let’s imagine how it would look like after implementing A-Life 2 without restrictions.
At this point, the most troublesome for many people (and what is repeated in numerous comments) is the spawning of bodies and enemies in close proximity to the players. It is definitely not an ideal situation, however, there is a chance that it does not work 100% as it should. It is what I mentioned at the beginning of this article – at this point it is difficult to say what is intended by developers and what is not. In the upcoming weeks we are sure to get patches which should improve the gameplay. It is possible that A-Life fix will be among them.
A-Life in Stalker 2 Update – Official Announcement
Developers have answered the concerns regarding A-Life in Stalker 2 on the official Discord. In the post we can read that:
There are several known issues with A-life 2.0 system that we are aware of and are working on fixes/improvements. We know that this system is very important to the Zone having an immersive atmosphere, and we will do our best to fix the known issues.
So, it seems that we should be patient for now.
Stalker 2 Guide
We have prepared Stalker 2 Guide. There you can find useful information like FAQ, tips and Walkthrough. Moreover, we have prepared an interactive map with many interesting markers.
