GSC releases 2004 build of STALKER

By Oli Welsh Published 3 March, 2009

A glimpse of what might have been.

In an unprecedented move, Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has released a build of its infamously troubled PC game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shaodw of Chernobyl that predates the final release by two and a half years, Shacknews reports.

The version of the game - 'xrCore' build 1935, dated October 18th 2004 - is available from several links in a thread on GSC's forums, or from FileShack.

Several levels that were cut from the final game, including Dead City, Swamp and Generators, are available to play in the build. It's described as "playable", although GSC says emphatically that it doesn't guarantee stability or fitness, and won't provide technical support for it.

The build offers a window into one of the more famous recent examples of development hell. The ridiculously ambitious post-apocalyptic first-person adventure was announced in 2001 and originally pencilled in for a 2003 released date.

After much talk of feature creep, instability and vapourware, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. finally emerged in 2007 in reduced form. But despite missing several of its original zones and features and still lacking some technical polish, it couldn't help but impress. It received a sequel-cum-expansion, Clear Sky, last year.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (16) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Malek86 #1 3 years ago

    Awesome. Downloading now. I wonder if it supports widescreen.

  • Golgo #2 3 years ago

    Can't be any less stable than the retail release...

  • Wastelander #3 3 years ago

    Fantastic!

    It'll be great if the mod community can integrate the lost levels into Oblivion Lost.

  • Artemus #4 3 years ago

    Does this build contain vehicles?

  • Tomo #5 3 years ago

    Wow, awesome. I wish more developers would do this.

    Does the download require STALKER to run it?

  • mkreku #6 3 years ago

    At one time, STALKER was supposed to be free-roaming (think Oblivion meets Chernobyl), with drivable vehicles and co-op multiplayer.. Oh, and the game was a race between you and the AI NPC's that also wanted to reach the center of the zone.

    Still a good game though, despite all the shortcomings.

  • XdarXideX #7 3 years ago

    @mkreku

    You beat me to it! I remember pre-ordering it back when it was still meant to be free-roaming and co-op. With the A-Life in place and the NPC attempting to complete the game before you. I hope the 2004 build is just that... though I remember reading that an AI NPC was found attempting to kill and eat himself because he thought his leg was tasty looking.

    Oh I wish they'd kept that game! I never did finish STALKER because it became a bit of a letdown after all the waiting.

  • Wastelander #8 3 years ago

    The drivable vehicles, cut monsters, random blowouts and expanded A-Life were all reintroduced with the Oblvion Lost mod.
    It's well worth playing again with it as it completely changes the dynamic of the whole game.

  • PearOfAnguish #9 3 years ago

    Does Oblivion Lost still have the insane difficulty level that meant you could bleed to death from a single pistol shot?

  • Tomo #10 3 years ago

    Just forget that Clear Sky ever happened though, ok everyone?

  • XdarXideX #11 3 years ago

    Clearly I need to download the Oblivion Lost mod! I can't believe I'm only just finding out about this!

  • Baranga #12 3 years ago

    Clear Sky is awesome, and so is this old build.

  • Wastelander #13 3 years ago

    OL isn't too harsh, it's up to vers 2.2 now I think and they balance and integrate various new mods into it all the time.
    In the most recent update they added proper faction wars so you can play with a team of AI guys. The AI gains experience as well so the longer they survive just wandering around doing their own thing (AI hunts for artefacts and better gear to sell in OL so you are kind of competing with them) the higher their rank becomes and the better the gear they carry.

    Random blowouts make the game unpredictable as they spawn new monsters and artifacts. You'll stumble across massive firefights where zombies or a boss monster has stumbled into a faction's base. It's quite excellent to watch.

    Good fun, makes the game really repayable. I've played through twice with two versions of OL now and it's been quite different both times.

  • Gearskin #14 3 years ago

    Great games. I never heard of this mod. Sounds sweet.

  • Garibaldi #15 3 years ago

    They never released an SDK which the community have been screaming for for over two years now, but they give this instead? How confusing.

  • Empedocles #16 3 years ago

    Good stuff, though I think the Oblivion Lost mods have pretty much brought the game up to what it should have been