Just that it shows the wrong code in the pda log. The correct code is given in a message at one point, but I missed the message, so I had to ask on the forums.

Ah, gotcha. I was thinking in terms of encoding! heheh

Good GRIEF, the engine seems even more horribly optimized than ever; is there any way to get this thing to render the game without it experiencing slowdown once the player gets topside? I have it set to run off of my integrated graphics card as opposed to my Nvidia card (which results in even harsher slowdown making the game completely unplayable after a few minutes), but beyond that, I am fresh out of ideas. I guess this is to be expected given how it was released, but it's still annoying.

Will this help?
http://gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr&thm_page=2&thm_id=22604&sec_id=19
From testing experience I can tell that turning off sun shadows / "godrays" made most of the difference most of the time (but that intel is about previous build and might not fully apply).

run it on dx9 or static lighting and ensure xp compatability mode is unchecked - that was causing lag for quite a few people

How's this for a stylin' Stalker accessory?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100454878/ussr-chernobyl-1986-soviet-union-nuclear

I'm tempted to buy it, but am concerned that it's either fake (and thus a rip-off) or real (and thus highly radioactive).

well, if its nicely made, at that price a fake aint bad - though a real one (consideirn april 26th was the anniversary) should be sky high in price

try the "commie store" in old east berlin - loads of replicas and real stuff. cant remember its actual name, but also, as i remember, be warned: its actually run by communists wishing to return to that era, so where your money goes...
(was featured on eurotrash many moons ago, but reportedly still going).

Does anyone know how to make Lost Alpha less bright?
This game has the same problem as the Complete mods, on mid day the streets glow completely white, I can turn down the brightness but that means I have to change brightness levels several times a day which sucks.

Another thing, is there a way so I don't have to use the inventory belt for ammo so it will just use ammo from the inventory pool when I reload?

I'm in complete awe with this new mod (or game, more deserving of the latter). The amount of work and changes is absolutely staggering, I'm constantly surprised by new things and love everything in it. Works extremely smooth (on both DX10 and DX9 renderers) on my GTX780 (w/ i3570k @4.2Ghz, 16G RAM) but I've lately started using DX9 render because I find the DX10 render to have pitch dark areas in the middle of the day on a field (sure, they are "completely shaded" but in real life because of Global Illumination, you still get plenty of light to see in those areas). DX9 render seems to have less contrast while DX10 lighting looks more natural (the color temperature).

Anyway, I hope they are still working and making patches for it, it's full of small issues but these can be ironed out in time. Is there an ETA on the next patch? I may force myself to put off playing it for a few months if patches are being worked on. This is way too great of a game to risk hurting the initial experience :) (I must have played over 500 hours on the STALKER series and its mods already, so I'm used to bugs but I'd be willing to wait some more time for this one)

yes, the new patch is still in development (no ETA as I know), but I believe theres just one main bug to iron out before its released - a tricky one that affects a few things. The patch will also require a new game start, so I'd definately suggest waiting for it - or you could attempt to use the community fixes - however, I found some of those to break other things in game.

Thanks for your reply. Is there an official communication channel with the path development team where they post this kind of information? (twitter account, forum status post, blog, etc).

yeah, theres their site (and forum) a dedicated subforum on gsc, a tiwtter, facebook etc, but you can find all of the links (and some pointers about sking questions) over on the moddb page: http://www.moddb.com/mods/lost-alpha

* * * * *

The new patch has been released!
637.14mb
http://www.moddb.com/mods/lost-alpha/downloads/stalker-lost-alpha-v13002-patch

"Here is the long awaited second patch for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Lost Alpha. Due to the changes in storyline and engine, it's required to start a new game after you installed this update. Your previous saves will not work. This patch is cumulative, so you will not need to install the previous (1.30013) patch at all.

Install Notes:
Unpack the zip somewhere, and run the setup. It will wipe the previous patch content, as well as gamedata, and bins directory from the game. So if you had modded files, make sure you back them up before you run the patch.Beware, mods for 1st patch will not work with this 2nd patch until mod makers make them compatible. We can not give support in this case.

Changes Log:

Fixes:
- fixed vibrating (constant open and close) doors on Great Metal Factory level
- fixed inaccessible "ashes to ashes" stash on Darkdolina level- fixed crash for missing suit upgrade
- fixed Escape bridge soldiers dying because too far from shelter
- fixed flying trees and props on Darkscape level- fixed Pripyat geometry (missing surface)
- fixed Arena mobs missing bug- fixed no available phrase to say, dialog[dm_artefact_merger_wnd]
- fixed no available phrase to say, dialog[forg_stalker_trader_start]
- fixed map marker for bandit suit on Darkdolina
- fixed crash related to missing crossbow decor model'
- fixed level changer position from the Power Plant to Sarcofag
- fixed Radar crash near outpost
- fixed ui_repair_wnd.script:471: attempt to index field 'selected_item'
- fixed quickload after death with hotkey
- fixed Greben jobs and dialogs on Yantar
- fixed usage of motion blur effect on R2 (dynamic lightning)
- fixed Lukash task dialog
- fixed Petrenko's task and dialog on Great Metal Factory level
- fixed Sidorovich's message to kill zombies even if all are dead
- fixed incorrect RPM for upgraded sig550
- fixed can't open section 'bandages'
- fixed incorrect icon for upgraded VAL weapon
- fixed return entry to Pripyat from Outskirts
- fixed [error]Description : callback kils bone matrix bone: bip01_spine2
- fixed crash when killing stalker trader on Construction Site
- fixed some other codes for doors
- fixed broken logic for doors and camera on Lost Factory
- fixed some floating boxes and barrels in Agroprom
- fixed ai-map in Deadcity (monsters climbed the bridge from the river)
- fixed ai-map for the duty sniper on Garbage outpost
- fixed ai-map and geometry on Yantar level
- fixed green glass in windows, jars etc. on r1 (static lightning) render
- fixed shader for lamps on dx10 (bulbs in lamps visible again)
- fixed incorrect calculation of money
- fixed Pripyat secret trader, now he will appear
- fixed crash in DetailManager, often shown on Generators level
- fixed some broken freeplay tasks
- fixed pda buttons (and the crash when using it)
- fixed missing known info strings
- fixed unresponsive bloodsucker on Darkvalley when climbing through hole in roof
- fixed Deedee antidote exploit
- fixed kill statistics
- fixed No available phrase to say, dialog[forg_dolg_raid_dialog_finished]
- fixed rendering crashes on all levels, but mainly related to the last few ones
- fixed transparent window frame on Generators level
- fixed missing Sin house (esc_basement_motor_cache) stash in Escape level
- fixed upgraded icon for PSZ-9Md outfit
- fixed crash when using repair kits
- fixed Sakharov dialogs
- fixed faulty stashes on Army Warehouses level
- fixed auto fire upgrades
- fixed Deadcity money issue
- fixed kampers ignoring danger
- fixed contact's incorrect avatar on Army Warehouses level
- fixed position of anomaly which was almost inside the Bar on Great Metal Factory
- fixed crash when talking to Duty leader on the Power Plant level
- fixed trees which had no collision
- fixed No available phrase to say, dialog[escape_wolf_greatings]
- fixed broken task when Hunter moves to Outskirts
- fixed duplicating ammo in safe exploit- fixed weather
- fixed transparent metal surface on Garbage level
- fixed crash which happens if you try to talk to an npc via pda chat in the same time the npc dies
- fixed upgraded icon for VAL weapon
- fixed mutant wave on the Power Plant level (sometimes task did not finish)
- fixed reaction of monolith soldiers at the Power Plant level when player drives BTR vehicle
- fixed various small glitches

Addons:
- finetuned all traders and their stock
- added missing map hint for Garbage sniper
- removed anomaly from the middle of the road on Great Metal Factory which made the access to Military level with car very hard
- Strelok's book can be dropped now, but it will be available in the articles menu on your pda as well
- now can buy cars from Outskirts barman too
- monster and character relations were tweaked
- added timer on hud for the gasmask on Rostok Factory level
- slightly increased probability of rain and thunder
- knife hit powers finetuned
- alcohol postprocess effects tweaked
- dx10 render optimized (more will come in later patches)
- added feature: when checking stash with purple icon and not taking all of theitems, the icon will change to green and will only be removed if you take all
- pda chat finetuned, if a participant goes offline, you will see message "connection lost"
- added X18 documents dialog to the "barman" Petrenko so that dialog can complete if doing task later
- made Sin neutral to the actor (to avoid misunderstanding)
- made Sin hostile towards actor_dolg (if player joins duty) and dolg (duty faction)
- added more fuel to traders and stashes
- finetuned ai reactions
- finetuned certain monster reactions
- removed extra sleeping bags from the game, but the one you have is now dropable, tradeable, and you can buy one at traders
- added ladder to the hole on the ground in Yantar to make climbing in and out more convenient
- revisioned and united all weapon hud positions
- the secret trader now sells only unique items
- added more alife to Darkscape, Forest, Outskirts and Country levels
- particles engine tweaked, finetuned and more stable
- implemented cloud shadows on r3 (dx10) render too
- added pda message about the 3rd bloodsucker to kill on Rostok Factory level
- enemies won't ignore you if you are sitting in a car
- various smaller tweaks and fixes
- removed test grenades and fixed bug so now NPCs will run from grenades they throw if they land close to them

Special Thanks:
Special thanks to those who supported us from the beginning. Their name can be found in game, however we would like to acknowledge those people too, who supported us since the early-access release, which was on 26th of April, 2014. Due to the limited space we have here, their name is listed in the readme included with the patch."