I just beat it....truly an awesome experience.
I see so much potential though for it to be even greater. I wish it was
at least 4 times bigger/longer, make the zone
epic epic epic BIGGER BIGGER BIGGER! LESS LINEAR, MORE FREE FORM/ THE DECISION IS YOURS type gameplay. So many things have been mentioned at official forums to improve/fix the game and I agree with many of them. Some
more ideas floating in my head, (some of which have been suggested before):
How about being able to join any faction you want Bandits, mercs, whatever? (or not) Or how about eliminate some factions (or all) and just have it a free for all every man for himself with the occasional base settlement which is not affiliated with any "group". I don't know exactly the best idea but it just seems kinda cheap (and not believable) all these organized "factions" with these clear cut beliefs etc.
Sleep: You never need to sleep as it is now you are just continously awake for the entire game and you never need to worry about finding a secure area to nap or at least rest for a while. Make it so you don't have to sit for hours while you sleep but you set up everything to your liking (find a good secure resting spot) and then hit a "sleep" key. Then the game determines what happened to you and if you survived the night (or not). You could also have nightmares that play out in movie form while the calculations determine your slumbers outcome.
More Randomness: What about having random military helo patrols all throughout the zone? They spot you and you are in deep **** unless you are prepared to "bring it"
More desolate: I don't know I'd just like it to be generally more "apocalyptic" and "dread filled" all around. Maybe a mod where a general goal is to locate secret nuclear documents/secrets and sell them to the outside interests. Another could possibly be obtain nuclear material for "outside interests" (not "PC" but hey, I like it) stuff like that. Less fantasy, more RL bleakness & lack of resources/ desperation (Mad Max-like). Just some ideas I'm throwing out.
Serious RL weapon behavior: (awesomely someone is working on just that)
http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr〈=en
One other little thing which I don't "get": What's with all the stupid names for NPCs? Blaska Spaghetti, Mirno Cornbread, Spissle Yeast Packet.....When every other guy you meet has an idiotic name the "joke" wears thin and detracts from the atmosphere.
In the end STALKER is awesome, but it has the potential for a hell of alot more than it currently offers.
I know this would be more pertinent by posting on the STALKER forum but I haven't got around to it, one game forum is enough for me, heh.