GSC Game World, the developer behind *STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl*, has released a significant patch aimed at enhancing the gameplay experience. Patch 1.2 addresses a whopping 1,700 fixes and improvements, with a particular focus on the A-Life 2.0 system. This update is comprehensive, touching on balance, locations, quests, blockers, crashes, performance, and more.
Since its launch in November, *STALKER 2* has enjoyed a positive reception on Steam and achieved 1 million sales, marking a triumph for the Ukrainian studio. Despite the challenges posed by the Russian invasion in 2022, the game's success is nothing short of a miracle. However, it has been plagued by bugs, especially with the A-Life 2.0 system, which has been a point of contention among players.
A-Life, a beloved feature from the original *STALKER* game, simulates AI behavior in the game world, creating a dynamic and immersive environment. GSC promised that A-Life 2.0 would elevate this experience to new heights, enhancing emergent gameplay. However, at launch, many players found the system underwhelming or non-functional. In an interview with IGN, GSC explained the issues with A-Life 2.0 and committed to resolving them. Patch 1.1 was the first step in this process, and Patch 1.2 continues the effort. Below are the detailed patch notes.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Update 1.2 Patch Notes:
AI
- Fixed a bug with A-Life NPCs unable to properly approach corpses. Now they can pick up the best loot and weapons from them, and switch to more powerful weapons.
- Improved corpse looting behavior for NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could loot body armor and helmets from corpses.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could not loot the corpses of NPCs from another faction.
- NPC shooting accuracy reconfigured; bullet dispersion accuracy adjusted for all distances and weapons.
- Added randomization of accurate shots in bullet sprays.
- Reduced wall penetration from certain NPC’s weapon bullets.
- Improved Stealth mechanics.
- Fixed an issue where after a melee attack, the NPC could end up behind the player.
- Adjusted the time of identification of the player character by NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs at Malachite location could notice players at a long distance and through objects.
- Improved mutant behavior in combat.
- Fixed an issue where AI wouldn't avoid obstacles and get stuck during scripted combat.
- Fixed an issue where jumping mutants could get stuck in the air under certain conditions.
- Fixed Controller ability not working through grate doors.
- Fixed mutants not being able to attack in certain positions.
- Fixed an issue where Chimera could jump through objects.
- Fixed issue where Chimera did not use jump attack.
- Fixed an issue where Deer summons could spawn in the player's field of view.
- Fixed an issue where Poltergeist could activate an anomaly and receive damage from it.
- Fixed an issue where mutants with the ability to jump were running around the player on elevated, unreachable surfaces.
- Fixed an issue where Pseudodog couldn't create summons when retreating.
- Added roar ability for Controller.
- Fixed an issue where A-life NPCs did not heal friendly wounded NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where A-life could spawn corpses near the player.
- Fixed an issue that could cause A-Life NPCs to have access to quest locations.
- Fixed the absence of some characters that could lead to a blocker during the walkthrough of the main line.
- Fixed an issue where A-Life militaries could spawn endlessly near Rookie Village.
- Fixed the issue with a stuck guard NPC in the doorway at the Skadovsk location.
- Fixed issue where more rats spawned in the lair than there should have been.
- Fixed an issue where NPC may get stuck after loading saves made right after Emission ends.
- Fixed an issue where weapons grabbed by the Burer ability would disappear.
- Fixed an issue with NPC animations when walking upstairs with a gun in hand.
- Improved animations for some mutants.
- Fixed that player takes damage near the NPC that is going through zombification.
- Fixed an issue where NPC may be stuck in the doorway after emission and block the player.
- Fixed an issue where shooting at mutant limbs could stretch them.
- Fixed use of NPC rifle stand position when standing with a pistol.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could spawn in front of the player at the Sphere location.
- Fixed NPC's repeatable cover animations.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs would stop in doorways on Rostok.
- Fixed NPC's walking animation during stand in combat.
- Fixed an issue where enemy NPCs did not react to flying bullets.
- Improved open world combat with Pseudogiant near Abandoned Science Campus at Prypiat.
- Fixed an issue where an NPC with a closed helmet could eat, smoke, and drink through the helmet.
- Fixed an issue where animations of death from an anomaly could be missing for some mutants.
- Fixed an issue where Lex Legend and his group could not return to the quest location after the end of Emission.
- Fixed a problem that made it difficult for rats to move in narrow places.
- Fixed an issue where Burer could snatch a quest weapon from the player's hands.
- Fixed an issue where NPC could start searching for an enemy after warning players to hide weapons.
- Reduced spawn rate for Bloodsuckers before the completion of the Behind Seven Seals mission.
- Fixed the issue when NPC can block a doorway in the Quiets camp after combat.
- With additional 70+ issues fixed.
Balance
- Weird Water arch-artifact anti-radiation effect was reduced.
- Fixed issue when a grenade could deal damage to Burer when the shield was active.
- Now NPCs need fewer shots to kill Pseudodog summon.
- Increased frequency of Jump Attack for Blind Dog mutant.
- Rebalanced pistols and silencer attachments.
- Decreased spawn rate for NPCs in exoskeletons.
- Reconfigured the number of armor NPCs are wearing. Increased the chance of spawning low and mid-tier armor, while the chance for top-tier armor to spawn was reduced.
- Increased damage from radiation depending on accumulated rad-points.
- The chance of spawning NPCs with high tier weaponry in early stages of the game was reduced.
- Added ability to trade with additional NPCs at Hubs.
- Economy tweaks for *A Job for the Barkeep* repeatable missions on Veteran difficulty.
- And a few more minor balance tweaks were made.
Optimization and Crashes
- Fixed FPS drops during boss fight with Faust.
- Fixed an issue with performance drop on closing PDA or Pause Menu.
- Slightly improved performance by disabling navigation mesh rebuild properties for multiple objects.
- Fixed memory leak related to item manipulation.
- Fixed over 100 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION crashes and other errors, including some other minor memory leaks.
- Fixed input lag after enabling VSync with enabled FidelityFX Frame Interpolation.
- Added Framerate lock during the pause menu, main menu, and loading screens.
- And some other optimization tweaks.
Under the Hood
- Player's flashlight now casts shadows on objects.
- Fixed the issue where relationships with NPCs didn't change.
- Changed names of some ammo types.
- Fixed the issue where the title could unexpectedly freeze during dialogues.
- Fixed the issue where some quest logic couldn't start after the NPCs' death.
- Improved transitions from cutscene to game.
- Fixed a generic issue where mission logic could break if the player gave an item to an NPC via dialogue option.
- Fixed the issue where the dialogue with NPC was closing after exit from the Trade/Upgrade.
- Fixed an issue where the player was teleported outside the playable area.
- Added custom Aim Assist logic for invisible targets for all supported controllers.
- Fixed an issue where save backups could be missing after losing game saves.
- Fixed NPC's broken animations while smoking.
- Fixed an issue where NPC could teleport outside the playable area of the map.
- Fixed achievement to sneakily clear the lair.
- Fixed the issue where in-game saves become corrupted after deleting local saves and unsuccessful cloud saves sync.
- Polished PDA models look in low light areas.
- With over 100 other improvements implemented in both sections: Optimization & Crashes, and Under the Hood.
Story
Main Story Line
- Fixed an issue where Col. Korshunov and/or Cpt. Zotov could not spawn during the Wishful Thinking mission.
- Fixed a bug that caused the reputation with Sultan bandits or Shevchenko stalkers not to increase after completing the Three Captains mission.
- Fixed an issue that caused Scar NPC to be hostile to the player during the Visions of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue that prevented players from a stealth walkthrough during the *Shock Therapy* mission due to being identified by NPCs instantly.
- Fixed an issue where the final dialogue with Gaffer could not start during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed an issue where objective Kill Dalin remains active after Korshunov kills Dalin during the *Down Below* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Inductor could despawn if Skif goes too far from it during the *Hot on the Trail* mission.
- Fixed a bug that made the stage of killing monolithians non-optional during the *The Eternal Shining* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player Character was able to jump down the pod chamber after taking the elevator during stage *Find Cartridge* with no possibility to take the elevator back up during the *Legends of the Zone* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the dialogue with Dr. Dalin and Col. Korshunov was looped during the Wishful Thinking mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player could not trade with Wreck during the *The Boundary* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the doors to STC Malachite could not open during the *A Minor Incident* mission.
- Fixed multiple issues that could cause NPCs to move during the dialogue with the player.
- Fixed an issue where Spark squad did not attack wardens during the *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Fixed an issue where objective Bring the Shah's PDA to Varan could be marked as completed after trading with Huron during the *King of the Hill* mission.
- Changed Chimera's behavior during the *Ad astra per aspera* mission, now it should retreat after losing a certain amount of HP.
- Fixed an issue where Ocheret ignored the battle between the player and Ocheret's squad.
- Fixed an issue where A-life NPCs could spawn in Claw during the *Dead Frequency* mission.
- Changed positions of Ward guards near the entrance to X18 lab during the Answers Come at a Price mission.
- Fixed an issue where the monolithians were not present outside the Enerhetyk Palace of Culture during the The Road to the Foundation mission.
- Fixed an issue where the stage "Discover the whereabouts of the escaped Wardens" of the *Shock Therapy* mission remained active after killing Beard.
- Fixed an issue where the player could lure Chimera into a peaceful zone and make it non-hostile during *The Road to the Foundation* mission.
- Fixed an issue where scientists constantly attack the player during *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Noontiders would not become hostile if a friendly NPC was killed in front of them near the entrance of Noontide base during the Hot on the Trail mission.
- Fixed an issue where phantoms were spawned in front of the player during the *Eye of the Storm* mission.
- Fixed an issue with auto-completing *Three Captains* mission right after taking it from Sonya Kalyna.
- Fixed an issue where players couldn't finish *Shift Change* mission if they didn't talk to Jumper at WPS after killing Hog's squad.
- Fixed an issue where Zakhar Babay and Akopyan could end up dead or missing with no ability to finish *Deceive the Deceiver* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player was still able to ask Beard about missing wardens after killing them in *Shock Therapy* mission.
- Fixed an issue where *Just Like the Good Old Days* mission would not progress if the player exited Shelter base via roof route.
- Fixed an issue where Strider disappeared instantly after completing *Dark Times* mission near Doctor's hut.
- Fixed an issue where *Find a way into Prypiat* objective would not finish if the player reached Prypiat via shortcut during *The Boundary* mission.
- Fixed an issue with a missing encounter mission at a checkpoint near Icarus Camp.
- Fixed an issue where Hosha Mohyla could one-shot the player during *Answers Come at a Price* mission.
- Reduced amount of rats at Offloading Terminal during *The Road to the Foundation* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Rainy weather persisted through the rest of the game after completing *The Boundary* mission.
- Fixed an issue where several stashes, markers, and journal objectives were not completed/removed after completing *Budmo!* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Pomor could die during *The Poppy Field* mission.
- Fixed an issue where aggressive Strider was present near Doctor's house after a cutscene during *An Act of Mercy* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Warden guards near the fence had no reaction to the player sneaking right in front of them during *Answers Come at a Price* mission.
- Prevented issues where corpses with important quest items could get despawned during *Bullseye* and *Shift Change* missions.
- Fixed an issue where Strider was dead/missing at Ranger Station during the *Extreme Simplicity* mission.
- Fixed an issue where psi-effect applied on the player would not disappear after completing *A Light in the End of the Tunnel* mission.
- Fixed an issue where *Talk to Chornozem* objective failed from the start and picking up PDA from Chornozem's corpse wouldn't progress *Answers Come at a Price* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Dark would not help the player to fight the Pseudogiant which blocked progression in *Legends of the Zone* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player was not able to interact with Shcherba during *In the Name of Science* mission.
- Fixed an issue where a cutscene with Scar at the Sawmill during *Back to the Slag Heap* mission would not start properly.
- Fixed an issue where Skif could die from bleeding effect after bossfight cutscene with Korshunov in *Down Below* mission.
- Fixed an issue where during the Strelok branch of *Down Below* mission journal entry in PDA would have Ward branch description instead.
- Fixed an issue where the player was unable to give Sultan his briefcase after killing ambushing stalkers too fast in *The Mysterious Case* mission.
- Fixed an issue where mercenary squads would not spawn on the way back from Faust's cell during *Just Like the Good Old Days* mission.
- Fixed an issue where optional journal objectives to fight off Ward/Spark remain active if one side dies due to emission during *Extreme Simplicity* mission.
- Fixed the issue of stuck Dr. Kryvenko during the *A Long Overdue Visit* mission.
- Removed the ability to use guide during the *The Boundary* mission while assault is going.
- Fixed the issue where Richter is absent or dead during the *To the Last Drop of Blood, A Minor Incident, The Boundary* missions.
- Fixed the issue where some phrases were missing during the *On the Edge* mission in the final dialogue.
- Fixed the issue where Dalin could be stuck at one place during the *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Fixed the issue where Objective “Return to Gaffer” is impossible to complete during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed the issue with infinite reward from Gaffer during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed the issue where NPCs were blocking the doorway during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed the issue when Gaffer could exit the building and start fighting during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed the issue where several Warlock NPCs could be present in the clubhouse during the *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed the issue where some Monolithian NPCs weren't attacking the player during the *An Act of Mercy* mission.
- Fixed the issue where Dalin didn't inspect Ozerskiy`s body during the *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Fixed the logic of radio messages from Scar after the Bossfight with Faust.
- Fixed an issue where infinite psi-effect was applied to the player after completing *A Light in the End of the Tunnel* mission.
- Fixed an issue where monolith troops didn't spawn after activating substation during the *Happiness for Everyone* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Sgt. Metlov was missing in a place of Diode during the *Back to the Slag Heap* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Skipper's mercenaries squad didn't attack the player on returning Emitter to Lodochka during *Just Like the Good Old Days* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Scherba was missing at Dvupalov's office during emission in *In Search of Past Glory* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player was unable to progress during *Dangerous Liaisons* mission if the decoder was sold.
- Fixed an issue where the player was unable to interact with Dvupalov to give the suppressor's blueprint during *In Search of Past Glory* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player could get softlocked during the *Dangerous Liaisons* mission.
- Fixed an issue where mercenaries squad near Brain Scorcher spawned right in front of the player after accepting a collar collecting mission from Shcherba.
- Fixed an issue where the player was able to get stuck behind two NPCs in Zalissya's shelter during *A Race against Death* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player was unable to start dialogue with Dvupalov or Scherba to return suppressor during *In Search of Past Glory* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Dr. Kaymanov and Strider could disappear during *An Act of Mercy* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the objective "Fight off the Monolith assault" was getting stuck during *The Boundary* mission.
- Fixed an issue where *A Big Score* and *Deceive the Deceiver* missions were able to start twice and have contradicting objectives.
- Fixed an issue where Prof. Lodochka was not interactable at toxic waste storage during the *Hot on the Trail* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Bandits were starting to fight at Slag Heap if the player escorted Zakhar Babay after emission in *Deceive the Deceiver* mission.
- Fixed an issue where *Take the instruments to Mykolayich* objective failed after talking to Gaffer in *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Ricochet died in Zalissya's house after the second monolith wave during *On the Edge* mission.
- Fixed an issue where the objective to complete the request without killing the Monolithians failed after hitting monolithians during *An Act of Mercy* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Monolith soldiers were able to spawn in front of the player during *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Fixed the issue where friendly NPCs could be stuck at one place during the *The Assault on the Duga* mission.
- Fixed that mercenary NPC were spawned in inaccessible areas during the *Legends of the Zone* mission.
- Fixed an issue where some zombies were able to get stuck in an idle state during bossfight with Scar.
- Improved AI behavior of Korshunov during bossfight with him.
- Improved Korshunov's shield during the bossfight with him.
- Increased Korshunov's armor during bossfight.
- Tweaked Col. Korshunov health points during bossfight in *Down Below* mission.
- Improved Scar's aiming behavior during bossfight with him.
- Fixed an issue where Strelok was able to dash outside the playable area of the arena, blocking bossfight with him during *The Eternal Shining* mission.
- Fixed an issue where Faust's clones could be transparent during a bossfight if the Object Details graphic option is set to low.
- Fixed an issue where the stage "Talk to Korshunov" could get stuck when the player returns to Korshunov via elevator during the Visions of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue where hunting could not progress after interacting with Borodulin while he is moving to the hunting spot.
- Fixed an issue where Strider could block the entrance to the warehouse during the Hot on the Trail mission.
- Fixed an issue where Scar could be missing at Rostok Depot during the Take the Emitter to Scar stage of Just Like the Good Old Days mission.
- Fixed an issue where the monolithians could not spawn when the player escaped X-5 lab during the In Search of Past Glory mission.
- Fixed an issue where Korshunov could get stuck during the bossfight.
- Overall, over 300+ quest issues were addressed within the Main Story.
Side Missions and Encounters
- Fixed an issue where the player could use the guide's services for free.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs from car scam encounters turned hostile after the player ran away and came back to them.
- Fixed an issue when a player was unable to take *Just Business* mission from Carl Clinch if he was previously healed during the Emission.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could teleport during dialogue after combat in encounter at Wild Territory.
- Improved Rodents' spawn in open-world encounters near Rostok.
- Fixed an issue where relationships with the Scientists' faction were spoiled after completing *Black Sheep* side mission.
- Added new notes in the open world and hubs.
- Fixed inconsistencies in rewards for repeatable missions.
- Fixed an issue where no travel options were available in dialogue with the guide at Noon base.
- Fixed narrative inconsistencies for loudspeaker announcements at Skadovsk.
- Fixed narrative inconsistencies with available encounter missions after the Monolith comeback.
- Fixed an issue where Spark branch specific encounter mission was able to start after completing *In Search of Past Glory* mission on Ward branch.
- Increased loot value for stash near Bloodsucker village in the Industrial Zone region.
- Fixed an issue where repeatable missions could get stuck in the Journal tab, preventing other repeatable quests from appearing in dialogues with vendors.
- Fixed an issue where Malachite Hub could get locked for players on Spark Branch after completing *Visions of Truth* mission.
- Level Design improvements in encounters near Rookie Village.
- Fixed an issue where the player was unable to start a dialog with Zhenya Hulk during *The Key to Freedom* mission near Fish Farm, if the door to captives room was opened during combat.
- Fixed an issue with missing Kostya Dry's dead body after the player runs away and comes back to his observation point during an encounter near Duga.
- Fixed an issue where Pseudodog couldn't spawn its Phantoms during *Arena: Round Two* mission.
- Fixed an issue when the player could loot armor and helmets from dead NPCs during *The Key to Freedom* mission.
- Fixed the issue where players could be stuck inside the building after the fast travel to Malachite with a guide.
- Fixed the issue where guides at Yaniv station were missing after the player already got to Pripyat.
- Fixed receiving several shotgun rounds during the *The Freedom Colosseum* mission.
- Fixed the issue when the NPC was not going to search for the player character during the fight at Arena.
- Fixed an issue where doors to STC Malachite were closed on reaching it during *A Minor Incident* mission.
- Fixed an issue where peaceful NPCs remained in STC Malachite during the fight in *Visions of the Truth* mission (Spark branch).
- Fixed an issue where the voiceover line for Skif's phrase didn't play in dialogues with guide NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where two groups of bandits did not start combat in the encounter between Poisonous Hole and Commissary Store locations.
- With additional 130+ “anomalies” being discovered and neutralized.
