It’s time to explore the latest updates in Patch 1.4, which brings a host of enhancements and fixes, including major upgrades to the combat AI. Let’s delve into the changes and discover what new tactics your adversaries might employ.
- Enhanced A-Life: Stalkers now live prolonged, fulfilling lives unless they meet their demise in the Zone due to actions beyond the player’s view.
- Mutants can now display a corpse-eating animation when near dead bodies.
- Mutants exhibit an “alert” state when activities occur around them.
- Advancements in Human Combat:
- Fixed numerous issues with NPC cover usage, ensuring they utilize available cover effectively, hide before attacking, and refrain from unnecessary charges.
- Characters now use trees as cover.
- Updated combat and cover animations for smoother and faster motions.
- Enhanced flanking tactics and transition to melee combat.
- Close combat is more challenging on Veteran and Stalker difficulties.
- Resolved synchronization issues in squad communication and actions.
- Characters now convey tactical actions and responses more clearly.
- Human characters strategically use grenades to flush targets.
- Squads have a limited number of grenades based on their rank and faction (bandits have fewer than military).
- Human characters can engage mutants in melee and use kicks against smaller mutants.
- Humans can kick crouched players.
- After combat, characters look around briefly for enemies before engaging in activities like looting and healing.
- Humans can no longer snipe with shotguns; problems with pellet dispersion and ballistic distances have been corrected.
- Increased variety in NPC appearance through more generic heads.
- The Burer can now use telekinesis to catch and throw grenades.
- Improved weapon stats display in inventory with updated logic.
- Introduced a new weapon stat — handling.
- Fixed erratic behavior of A-Life NPCs after attacking enemy lairs.
- Resolved issues preventing A-Life NPC movement after transitioning to offline.
- Enhanced mutant behavior during combat.
- Corrected a problem where Flesh mutants would ambush the player after dodging a jump attack.
- Resolved an issue with rat mutants ignoring the player after loading a nearby saved game.
- Improved path navigation for offline NPCs to prevent entry into restricted areas.
- Addressed a flaw where NPCs could survive underwater while wounded.
- Fixed mutant body animations after being killed by shotgun or grenade.
- Addressed an issue where patrolling NPCs could pass through each other.
- Blind Dogs now bark peacefully when not engaged in combat with the player.
- Fixed NPC clipping issues during combat, especially when moving through doors.
- Resolved mutant problems in finding enemies post-combat exit during emissions.
- Fixed NPCs being trapped in ambush posture.
- Adjusted NPC aiming while in low cover.
- Resolved issues with NPCs remaining idle after sustaining critical damage.
- Adjusted NPC shooting ranges based on their weapons.
- Refined NPC shooting from cover tactics.
- RPM-74: Boosted armor-piercing capabilities.
- Increased explosion damage on high-ranking targets.
- Enhanced RPG damage.
- Reduced grenade lethal radius.
- Extended RPG concussion radius.
- Added silencers to stashes.
- Khors can now upgrade the Zircon Suit.
- Fixed duplicate physical protection upgrades on PSZ-9I Falcon armor.
- Revised stash contents in the Zaton region.
- Improved anomaly regeneration and spawning after emissions.
- Optimized light and shadow performance across various areas.
- Improved grass LODs in numerous regions.
- Enhanced performance for light garland at 100 Rads Bar.
- Implemented additional CPU performance tweaks.
- Fixed issues with bullet hit decals on NPC and mutant bodies.
- Resolved issues with Vortex arch-anomalies affecting NPC corpses.
- Fixed invisibility issues with anomalies spawned by Electric Poltergeists.
- Addressed stamina expenditure even when no action is available.
- Fixed NPCs unable to reach distant scripted animation poses.
- Resolved issues causing Zombies to fall through geometry.
- Fixed raindrop sounds on certain underground props.
- Resolved player being stuck behind doors in Sidorovich’s bunker.
- Fixed HUD opacity option issues.
- Improved dynamic shadow rendering from flashlights.
- Addressed persistent effects after loading saves.
- Fixed armor stat bar displaying issues with Psi Protection upgrades.
- Prevented early access to Prypiat via specific routes.
- Highlighted broken weapons with red backgrounds.
- Resolved trader item sorting issues post-trade cancellation.
- Enabled “Extra Barrel Upgrade” installation for SVDM-2 and Lynx sniper rifles.
- Fixed mutant telekinesis issues with item manipulation.
- Addressed Bayun’s non-damaging jump attacks.
- Resolved issue with “Find Spirit” mission objective completion.
- Fixed Faust’s absence during bossfight in “Once More Unto The Breach” mission when distracted by a grenade.
- Addressed Scar’s dialogue initiation issue in “Visions Of Truth” mission.
- Fixed Snork collar collection issue in “In The Name Of Science” mission.
- Solved door locking issue in “The Last Step” mission airlocks.
- Fixed Max Saturday’s premature death in “The Lost Boys” mission.
- Resolved missing world section issue in “Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death” mission.
- Fixed unresponsive NPC issue in “Down Below” mission.
- Addressed completion issue in “A Matter Of Honor” mission.
- Resolved Skif’s bleeding issue post-bossfight in “Down Below” mission.
- Fixed locked door issue in “Just Like The Good Old Days” mission.
- Solved mission progression issue in “The Boundary”.
- Fixed missing NPC issue in “The Boundary” mission.
- Resolved progression issue due to missing item in “Just Like The Good Old Days”.
- Addressed missing mission in “The Freedom Colosseum”.
- Fixed dialogue issue with Dubniy in “Hot On The Trail” mission.
- Resolved locked bunker issue in “The Boundary” mission.
- Solved communication issue in “Legends of the Zone”.
- Fixed “Get to the helicopter pad” objective completion issue in “Law And Order”.
- Resolved camera malfunction during encounter mission in Backwater.
- Removed invisible collision in Rostok’s bar.
- Fixed weather issue post-mission in “Hot on the Trail”.
- Addressed non-interactable NPC issue in “Dawn Of A New Day”.
- Fixed emission shelter issue in “Just Like The Good Old Days”.
- Resolved stuck reward stage issues in repeatable missions.
- Fixed interaction issue in “A Needle In A Haystack”.
- Addressed “Last Hunt” mission completion issue.
- Solved briefcase handover issue in “The Mysterious Case”.
- Fixed progression issue in “Like A Moth To The Flame”.
- Resolved missing marker issue in “A Minor Incident”.
- Fixed stuck issue in “Eye of the Storm” mission.
- Fixed Scar’s appearance issue in “Visions Of Truth”.
- Resolved Scar’s blocked dialogue during “Visions Of Truth”.
- Fixed obstacles in “A Big Score” mission.
- Addressed emission timing issue in “Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death”.
- Resolved cutscene issue in “The Last Wish” mission.
- Fixed early start issue in “On the Edge” mission.
- Addressed mission completion issue in “All That Is Left”.
- Fixed Strelok’s attack problem during boss fight.
- Enhanced NPC pathing.
- Refined scripted NPC animations.
- Increased visibility of human characters using flashlights.
- Improved grenade sound obstruction when thrown from indoors.
- New emission shelter added in Chemical Plant’s dining room.
- New emission shelter added to technician room at Ranger Station, Zaton region.
- Enhanced facial animations and realism.
- Improved bolt impact sounds.
- Removed unnecessary blur effect when trading.
- Added player vitals stat panel to the trade menu.
- Introduced new death animations and sound effects for various damage types.
- Fixed blood particle issue when shooting sausage props.
- Resolved duck behavior after being shot.
Thank you for your support and feedback. The Zone continues to improve and evolve. Stay tuned and keep sharing your insights on our social media. It’s time to put these combat enhancements to the test.
You can find the complete list of changes at: [it may take some time for the full patchnote to appear on the website]
If you encounter any unexpected “anomalies” not intended to be part of the game, please report them to our Technical Support Center. Our team will address them promptly to ensure the safety of the Zone.