Feedback for Stalker 2 after 200 hours

Edit: GSC got back to me about my feedback, and the reply was very positive

Sent this list to GSC as feedback, but figured I'll post it here, maybe we can have some nice, civilised, constructive discussion on the topic. Obviously I didn't mention resource optimization, Alife and other bugs, because "I think you should fix the bugs" is not a useful feedback because it is self evident that they need to be fixed.

Here are some thoughts after 200 hours, and 1.5 playthroughs. Overall I love the game, it is becoming one of my favourites, and hoping to see it improve over time. Hope these thoughts of mine will help the devs. Slava Ukraini!

What I especially liked:

  • Observing artifacts
  • Exploring the Zone in general
  • Atmosphere
  • The non lethal anomalies.
  • the QOL changes from the original trilogy (use items animations, etc)
  • 90% of the guns
  • The small puzzles all around the world
  • The discoverable locations

 

What I don’t like:

  • The length of the day-night cycle
  • How drinking Energy Drinks bypasses the sleep system in its entirety (Is it even in the game atm?)
  • How Energy Drinks Work (I’d prefer if they’d give a larger passive buff for longer so I don’t have to guzzle 15 at once)
  • Enemy accuracy (100m sniping with buckshots is not fun)
  • Currently how auto peeking works. It just messes with my aiming while I’m shuffling around
  • The flashbang anomalies. Just no.
  • The reward for some side quests (getting 2k coupon to kill 5 flesh near Malachite, and finding out that going there and back degraded my items by 1800, or 2500 coupons, is not a very good feeling.)

 

What I miss:

  • Binoculars
  • Night Vision Goggles
  • Translation of Ukrainian text on walls (Textures are fine. Maybe a translation can appear when I hover over them? It is immersion breaking having to fiddle with google translate mid game session)
  • Quests involving long travel (example: Barman tells me to get a package, or kill a group all the way in Zaton or back, for example) obviously rewards need to be higher to be worth the trekking and extra equipment degradation.
  • A way to enter Pripyat before the main mission takes place. Maybe a side quest to let us pass, or a legit way to sneak in without hacks.
  • A gameplay mode where stashes and loot are semi-randomized, so you cannot just rush for a Saiga at the Truck Cemetery as soon as you leave the Lesser Zone
  • A weapon/armor repair kit. Nothing as detailed as Anomaly/Gamma, but rather I’d be happy with a rare item, like a gun lube or such that restores 10-25% on a weapon/armor (with weapon specific animations maybe? Lot more work, but would be oh so immersive seeing Skiff put a few drops of oil into my 416s bolt carrier
  • PDA Encyclopedia from Shadow of Chernobyl, that has short text on mutants, artifacts and regions I’ve already encountered