Stalker_GAMMA VS SRP

Seems most people in the thread got the bases covered, so I'll recommend S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly, it's free and while the base game is quite enjoyable there are two big modpacks called EFP (Escape From Pripyat) and GAMMA (requires you to join the discord for access though, yuck). EFP places emphasis on faction combat and building up your loadout while the creepy Zone stuff sort of takes the backseat. I have yet to play GAMMA but from my understanding in comparison to EFP it feels more like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. experience but with stronger emphasis on survival and scavenging mechanics.

Read the Patchnotes here: https://github.com/Grokitach/Stalker_GAMMA/blob/dev2/Patchnotes_0.9.1_2nd_anniversary.md

GAMMA modpack. Reinstall some of the texture mods with different configs using the discord's guide if you want a less dead looking zone (I think it looks good though, personally). Crank up ZCP's population sliders (particularly for stalkers) for a really nicely populated zone with a lot of action. Crank those grass settings up too, I've been half tempted to upgrade from a 1070ti just so my Zone doesn't have such anemic grass...

On this page: https://github.com/Grokitach/Stalker_GAMMA

Try this mod as stated above https://github.com/Decane/SRP

Clear Sky is the cheapest of the three probably because it's the most jank. Play this one second. You need the SRP mod, and I recommend the Alternative Ballistics, feasable stealth, and decreased AI grenade spam sub-mods. It's a prequel to SoC but also spoils the ending. Early Game Advice: 1: When you leave the Swamp and go to Cordon for the first time, just go back to the swamp and take the northern entrance to Cordon instead of the one the game leads you to, you WILL get killed by the machine gun every time. 2:There's several moments where you will lose ALL of your money with no way to get it back, one is completely unavoidable, so don't worry too much about having money early on There's a faction war system but I never bothered much with it, it was more annoying than anything.

To enjoy clear sky either install the sky reclamation project https://www.moddb.com/mods/srp or ABR mod https://www.moddb.com/mods/abr-cs-mod

I then bought CS and played it for like 1 hour without mods. I disliked it so far. I still have to give it another go, but the different UI and changed mechanics pained me. Recently someone told me about https://www.moddb.com/mods/srp and I think I will give it a try in half a year.

Sky Reclamation Project(SRP) is same type of mod but for Stalker Clear Sky. You can find it here.

Install the Sky Reclamation Project mod pack before even thinking of properly starting a new game*, You'll save yourself a lot of frustration and actually be able to get through the 3rd of the last act without the slide-show effect & save-corrupting CTD's. The free-play option disables the ending cinematic though, so keep that in mind.

SRP - Most of it already included in the Enhanced modpack as far as I know,

Check out Absolute Texture Packs. As for bugs - ZRP for Shadow of Chernobyl, SRP for Clear Sky.

In CS and CoP, there is a Lua script named object_collection.script. A simplified version thereof will be in the next version of the SRP. In CS, this script allocates task entity identifiers and squad identifiers in a sustainable fashion by re-using identifiers where possible. Perhaps equivalent logic could be implemented in the engine for generic entity ID allocation.