Long considered a stupid move STALKER the engine was eventually broken down, rebuilt, and bent to the will of some wildly ambitious modders add cooperative play one of the original titles: Call of Pripyat. This is a stunning achievement in STALKER modding, and may even open the door to cooperative play in sandbox-style mods like Anomaly Or GAMMA in miniature (this is pure speculation on my part, please don’t tell Grok I said that).
Technical Marvel of the X-ray Engine
The engine that powers the original STALKER entries, known as the X-ray engine, is both a technical marvel and a perfect example of a “Eurojank”. It’s wonderful that he’s able to pull the creatures away from the player for ages and allow them to interact with each other using a technology known as “ALife”, giving the world a living element rarely seen in titles created by even the most prestigious studios. Modding is also a nightmare. Or this was modding was a nightmare until the community made it largely plain petite more DIY affable.
Challenges of Co-op Play in STALKER
Despite this, co-op play has long been requested and rejected. The amount of work the engine has to do even for a single player leads to repeated stutters, even on high-end computers. Getting all these enemies and NPCs rendered and working properly on two computers would be crazy, right? Well, the X-Ray multiplayer expansion allows you to do just that four.
Exploring Co-op Modding Attempts
There were also other attempts at cooperation, including: Shadow of Co-op modbut the lack of a moddb page, crashes, and the inability to save made it somewhat impenetrable for most players. xrMPE promises that all of the original game mechanics will be functional, with a few additions (including fan-favorite Gunslinger weapons and animations).
Future Prospects for Co-op Play in STALKER 2
STALKER 2 Is promising mod support as well, so we’ll have to wait and see if this engine is a little more malleable out of the box. Who knows, maybe we’ll even have a co-op mode in the sequel a little sooner than 15 years after the premiere.
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FAQs
Can the X-ray engine support cooperative play?
While the X-ray engine was initially not designed for cooperative play, modders have made significant progress in enabling this feature.
What challenges are faced in implementing co-op play in STALKER?
The engine’s limitations, such as performance issues and rendering complexities, pose significant challenges for seamless cooperative gameplay.
Is there hope for co-op play in future STALKER titles?
With advancements in modding and potential support in STALKER 2, there is optimism for the inclusion of co-op play in upcoming games.
Credit: herosweb.com
