How STALKER Gets Factions Right

Ah cool a video about Factions and STALKER...
1 min into the video: Wtf am I watching?

Fallout has some bad factions, but I do think the Brotherhood of Steel is the closest to an interesting question. They ask "can humanity be trusted with the technology that brought about its ruin?" and exist as a group that collects advanced technologies and keeps them under lock and key until humanity is ready for them. Their reasons for their beliefs are all sound. Technology advanced faster than humanity could handle it (the world got nuked into a wasteland), super mutants are too dangerous to be left alive, synths are machines programmed to deceive humans, ghouls always have that threat of going feral. The Brotherhood does not focus on good and evil, they are dedicated only to their mission of keeping humanity safe from its own drive towards destruction. Bethesda obviously fails miserably with these subjects, trying to portray ghouls and synths the same way that movie Bright portrayed orcs to say the Brotherhood is racist. Racism allegories don't work when you're using violent and dangerous creatures to do it.

I do personally think they could be a very interesting idea with a good writer, the idea of technology, and its out of control advancement.

The worst Fallout has to offer is the Railroad, look through optional text in Fallout 4 and you'll find that some in the Railroad are even questioning if automated turrets are people, and the faction kills humans to save machines. Start up the vertibird, those fools are dangerous. And it's insane that they're supposed to be the good guys. They are the worst possible way to ask "when does a sufficiently advanced AI become a person?".

Bro doesn't understand new Vegas setting using current thing mentality of course you don't pay attention

The factions in stalker all have their own quirks and ideologies that make you as a player question your morality as each faction leader explains to you (strelok) their goals and ambitions. Which when you start the game and dislike a faction i.e lets take duty, you can disreguard their side quest but when you talk to the Maj. (Idk if it is maj i havent replayed stalker in a while) he explains why they do what they do and you can see how it effects the zone. They all get you invested and immersed in the game and story. Aswell as having each and ever NPC having dynamic dialogue allowing you to speak to every and any NPC (Given their friendly and not a mutany) who react to your actions in game i.e your on the main storyline a shut off the brain scorcher, they make a comment on it. Making you as a player feel acomplishment like youre actually helping these people. It all fairness even the "bad" factions like Mono and Bandits each have their reasons to do what they do. All be it morally wrong but only know how to live like this (Bandits) or being brainwashed to believe in something that views them as expendable (Mono). All in all the way you help or assist them affects the game world. E.g you help clear sky eradicate renegades from the swamps - you see less renegades and more CS patrols. Dynamically changing the environment to be more safer and again making you (strelok or scar) feeling like you are making an impact. All of these reasons make the game feel like something you can change according to your morals - all be it not entirely just to your liking. There will still be presence of enemies amd hostil factions because after all its still a shooter lol. Stalker anomaly mod captures this im the War gamemode where you choose a faction amd fight for territory to control the zone. GSC Made each NPC have different behaviours (not entirely but in one area i.e cordon each npc may have different attitudes and lines) which again makes them feel alive and therefore causing you, the player, have moral dialemas when conflicted with choices on the paths you will take - heartless killer or saviour of the zone?


(Apologies for the short essay, but this game is too good to not talk about.)

Monolith when strelok: 😨

i really think you should go out to vote mate.

To add to how horrendous video game story choices are, most games let you save before those decisions, completely lessening the impact of any decisions you make if you can just change your mind at any time. I would like to see games not allow this and instead let you try to fix and learn from a mistake in the story if possible.

This channel is the complete opposite of every other game review channel i ever seen

Wait a moment
Cobbler family is crazy, is DJ a brother and a Sister
Mister, is your father alive?

To be fair in New Vegas you could overthrow Mr. House and be your own faction.

comment tribute

any time you retarded zoomers post your shallow shit takes about stalker online, we are getting one step closer to the apocalypse

bioshock is a terrible choose as an example for a game that gives you meaningless choices. A major theme across one and infante is about how you have no choices, and that the few choices you do have are near meaningless because you can just choice again. you do remember the would you kindly bit right.

Obviously the Megaton always needs to be anihilated

Got me in the first part not gonna lie.

Vampyr also tackles the idea of should I eat this person to get more powerful or struggle, also the guy is a doctor meant to save lives and not take them, it’s an interesting moral dilemma. I can’t remember how well the game did this, but it’s worth checking out

Cobbler vids were always cool and insightful

No corrections or additions. Fantastic video on a nuanced topic that most games get horridly wrong.

Very short explanations of factions ideas:

Loners: We're here to grab shit and sell it to get money or something like that
Bandits: We literally bandits. We're robbing people. That's it.
Ecologists: We study shit
Clear sky: We study shit, but on our own
Military: We're here to prevent anything and anyone from entering or leaving the Zone. Or at least trying.
Duty: We here to destroy the zone.
Freedom: We here to understand the Zone and gain profit from it
Mercenaries: We're literally paid to kill someone or steal something.
Monolith: We're just brainwashed sectarians and protenting the CNPP with our God inside of it.

That's it.

Video went hard

A lot of yikes takes in this video

You forgot Mr House

What I love about stalker and such, if you look at gamma or StalkerZ (dayz stalker mp server) youre just a guy trying to make a living in the Zone and you are entirely inconsequential

In stalker, you could change factions the more you learn about the zone, just like i changed from duty fan to freedom enjoyer. Every faction makes it’s rival look stupid in some way, and only slight differences make you change your path or whatever.

Bro can someone fkin help me reddit made me type in this formal ass style i dont like it

3 years late— But to a certain extent the batshit options are intentional, like in new Vegas, you’re the only sane person in a fucking mental country full of incompetent dumbasses, to the point where as a single person you can entirely flip the scales

Я как фанат сталкера из России, очень сильно удивлен этому видео, мое уважение автору

This man should play Gothic.

Forgot mr house

Bro forgor abt me house ending

I'd argue that a lot of games have you choose between the lesser of two evils for a sense of realism-- those are often the choices that people have, especially when you're talking about big government-level decisions. Caesar's Legion vs NCR is a teeny little black and white (a lot of cut content for both sides), but the NCR has understandable reasons for all its shades of grey and has as many and different benefits to its citizens that the other factions do.

Play Planscape Torment or old Fallouts.

imagine you choke on your fathers dick,.... and don't spam yt how great that would be

"uguu the game makes you pick between two extremes when I want the-" shut the fuck up.
the entire point is to make you think. Take the outer worlds for example, its literally asking you, if put between two wildly insane figures; which do you choose? The world is already inevitably fucked up. The only options left are radicals in either direction; because the scenario calls for radical ideas due to the insane issues provided. If you're a middling dumbass who's not willing to tribalistically stick with one or the other side, you literally cannot win because you're pandering to nobody. In radical times, radical solutions must be applied.

Your blatantly childish refusal to see that video games and most other art imitate life, and your inability to even understand deeper story concepts such as why the legion does what it does; is fucking stupid. The game is supposed to be fun, sure; but if you're willing to drop a game because you want a fucking democrat/republican party in a technocapitalist dystopia where those ideas literally make zero sense- you're missing a million insanely good games due to your own fucking stupidity.

Stalker is more grounded, so obviously the ideas in it are more grounded- the milquetoastness of the factions reflects that. Overall, a pretty shitty video wanking the fact that stalkers factions are more "realistic" because you can't suspend your own disbelief to get immersed into anything that doesn't remind you of real life, around now.

The choice in Skyrim isn't "weak and inept government" or "racist nationalists". The choice is a "weakened, corrupted, and dying government that will be destroyed before it can be fixed" or " hurt fools that feel betrayed and think that if they make Skyrim independent they will have a chance to fight the Thalmor. I believe Private Sessions made a great characterization of both factions so I highly recommend watching his videos on Skyrim (although they are unfathomably long).

Being owned by a corporation or being a socialist... anything is better than socialism so that is a stupid question for me.

Game if thrones was fun and cool until they follow great books and narration. Whey they stop doing that and begin to add post modern western neo religion of wokism - all instantly turn into shit.

I think the issue is that games are often scared of getting political, because that can cut their profit margin.

And you can't really ask questions about the human condition or what is best for society without it turning political.

I chose freedom because they can drink Vodka when ever they want.

Love your vids

Gay of thrones was shit from the start

All my homies love clearsky.

Too much spoiler for everything

Stalker have probably the most poorly designed factions I've seen.
Duty vs Freedom - ok, it is a staple order-x-anarchy trope, there is nothing bad in the idea. But what we see in game? Duty who should be into order just hang in the bar, control routes for ransom, establish gladiator fights for bets. Freedom who is into anarchy hangs in the army base, wear camouflage and sacrifice their lives to stop mutant waves from Pripyat. It feels like someone confused two in the process of making the game. It is not an attempt into gray morale it is a total reversal of roles.
Faction of loners - what? It is nonsense. I bet their favorite things are incel orgies and starvation feasts.
Military - so there is military, stalkers, military stalkers and Duty who are stalkers with military ranks and military past. What separates them from each other? How do they aligned to each other? It is a mess, pretty realistic but poorly developed in plot.
Zombies - there are classical romeroish zombies from alpha builds, zombie-stalkers who are not physically zombies but have their brain damaged so now they have all physical attributes of zombies, Monolith - a faction of brainwashed stalkers, and random stalkers who are brainwashed but not like the monolith ones. I think developers couldn't settle what archetype of zombies they want in the game so they added all their contradicting ideas at once.
Mercenaries - in first game they are stereotypical bad guys who just shoot on sight. Lazy, but ok. In second game turns out they are just another faction of stalkers who just do things for money. Wow, so unique, I bet none of other factions ever did things for money, especially bandits.
Bandits - by design, they intended to stay in safe areas and rob stalkers who bring artefacts from dangerous areas to sell. Instead, they hang out in rather dangerous areas and shoot anyone on sight not just scaring off their potential victims but also preventing them to get artefacts which they should be robbed off later. They wear faction outfits so everyone can see from afar they are bad guys and shoot them or ran away.
Renegades - bandits' bandits who are just like bandits. Just admit you are ran out of ideas.
Clear sky - faction of scientist-stalkers, not to be confused with scientists and stalkers who work for scientists. Another lazy attempt at faction to get rid later by plot needs.

Maybe review METROs factions

You should try Prey 2017 or Pathologic.

I mean i liked the hippie comune, but i do see your point

Getting into the Zone in Clear Sky Compared to Beaches of Normandy is an Utter Under Statement i died over 50 times to that MG

I feel like bro doesn’t realize that literal adult reality is choosing the lesser of shitty options. Not really the most evil, but the least bad.

And it really isn’t that bad. Like when you look at the NCR or Legion. Like yeah “lol legion is insane and NCR is incompetent” feels like an oversimplification and kinda retarded analysis of both factions

Or “racist nationalists or corrupt inept government” is like the analysis of a 10 year old playing Skyrim for the first time and not understanding that it isn’t the lesser of two evils, it’s the greater of two good points. It’s the same with the NCR and legion. People act like flawed bureaucracy and powerful tyranny are both shit, when in reality they both offer legitimately good choices for the wasteland.

Same with Skyrim, both factions legitimately have a point.

I kinda hate this doomer mindset going into bethesda games. Like sure it works for fallout 4, but for fallout 3 and new Vegas, the two main factions make actual arguments that should be considered.

This just kinda feels like you went in and concluded that since neither side was 100% good, they were both bad. Idk maybe I think within the context of the game rather than the context of the real world when making those choices.

Love the video, just seems like a really shallow analysis of games that are way deeper than they’re given credit for here

I am glad they have the new vegas ending where you can say how fucking dumb the writing was and you can just kill everything instead.