The patch makes fire exchanges more difficult, making it easier for malicious mutants to feast on the corpses of the unlucky. Patch 1.4 is another major update to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, breathing some life into Zona.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has received a massive update 1.4. GSC Game World studio has released a long list of changes in a post you can read on Steam. The new patch includes such important changes as solving the problem of bloody steamers and shot ducks flying into the water.
Jokes aside (albeit actual improvements highlighted by the Ukrainian developer), version 1.4 brings other important changes to the “second” STALKER. The developers have made a number of fixes related to missions, including “non-interactive” or non-conversational NPCs, closed or blocking quests (including those from merchants). There was also no shortage of gameplay balance modifications.
More (in)human enemies
Nevertheless, further improvements to the living world of Heart of Chornobyl, including the behavior of other stalkers and mutants, should be considered the most important changes. The latter will finally feed on (in)fresh corpses and may become alert as a result of nearby events or approaching objects or creatures. More “normal” faces have also been added for humans to reduce clone invasions.
The developers have also improved the behavior of Zona’s human inhabitants. They now use trees as cover, and hiding is accompanied by better animations. Moreover, enemies communicate in combat and make better use of both grenades and melee tools, as well as flanking and kicking crouching enemies. For balance, the use of shotguns like sniper rifles by some people has been curbed. Similarly, the behavior of mutants, both in and out of combat, has been improved.
Patch 1.4 is rounded out by technical fixes (better facial animations and sound effects) and further improvements to the game’s optimization, as well as the user interface (including improved display of weapon stats in inventory and the addition of key character “stats” in the trade menu).