The tension of a post-apocalyptic setting is tough to top, and while there’s plenty of fun to be had in the likes of Fallout 76, Bethesda’s multiplayer offering strips out a lot of the terror and despair of its setting. If that appeals to you, then first-person MMO Stalcraft X is perhaps just what you’re after. The free-to-play, Stalker-influenced multiplayer FPS has seen a big jump on Steam following the launch of its tenth anniversary overhaul, and developer Exbo continues to tweak and hone it with today’s new patch.
The Stalcraft X update essentially revamps the free Steam game from the ground up with a set of new faction-driven storylines, a colossal overhaul to the graphics and animation engine, a new looting system, and the ability to build and customize your own personal shelter. Its launch has driven Stalcraft to a new player count high on Steam, and now another hefty patch has dropped.
The Stalcraft X update for Thursday July 25 focuses primarily on the way you handle guns. Magazines have been adjusted, and will now have a fixed reload time, offering no buffs or debuffs to reload speed. Instead, weapons themselves have a new ‘Ergonomics’ rating that affects how quickly you can change magazines. At 100%, it will work as expected, with the Ergonomics value rising or falling for faster or slower reloads respectively.
The random jamming mechanics have also been replaced. In their place comes a new system where continuous firing with larger-than-standard magazines will guarantee a jam. For example, a weapon that holds 30 rounds by default will jam when you reach 45 rounds fired consecutively (assuming that you’re using a magazine that holds enough rounds to do so).
You’ll no longer be able to strap multiple laser sights to a weapon to stack their benefits – instead, only the one with the largest bonus will apply. Recipes have been changed for many barter items and factional armor recipes, too, with compensation available to players for some of the gear that has been affected.
There’s also a fairly broad swathe of balance changes across the board, so you’ll want to check out the full patch notes courtesy of Exbo before deciding which weapon you want by your side in the wasteland.
Alternatively, here are even more of the best MMORPGs on PC in 2024, along with the best FPS games to play right now.
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