LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (08/17/03)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Be on the lookout for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Dear Editor:

Hello, I'm a 13-year-old and I like to read your newspaper every Saturday when it comes in the mail. I noticed that many of the articles mostly appeal to only adults. There's nothing wrong with that, but I was thinking that if you print this letter in your next issue you might get several more younger readers like me.

Video games are the big thing for this generation and most likely in the future as well. The video game industry is now even bigger than the movie industry. In addition to that, over 70 percent of today's youth play them now. GSC Gameworld is a video game developer located in Kyiv, Ukraine. Some might know them as the developers of the "Cossacks" video game series. GSC is currently developing a new game for the PC titled "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost." This game puts the player in the Chornobyl region of Ukraine where they have complete freedom to move about as they wish.

Let me tell you a little about the storyline.

The game takes place in Chornobyl in the year 2026, 40 years after the original disaster and just after a second one. After the second incident, pockets of radiation and other anomalies started appearing in the area. Scientists from around the globe then started searching the 30-kilometer area called "the Zone" to discover what was going on there. The scientists began to vanish and military forces were sent in.

You'll play as a Stalker and will search "the Zone" for items to sell or trade in addition to finding out what's going on. You can use the money you make to buy other items or make upgrades to your inventory. You'll encounter dangerous enemies such as dwarfs, zombies and packs of blind dogs, as well as other Stalkers and military forces. Some creatures may even have the ability to use telepathy or telekinesis. You'll have at your arsenal around 30 different types of weapons, which include pistols, machine guns and prototypes. It is also possible to buy different vehicles such as cars, trucks and possibly armored personnel carriers.

Basically what you do in the game varies on what happens to you and what choices you make, so there will be multiple endings which will give the game a high replay value. You could join a team with other Stalkers but could then become an enemy of another group. Expect the Artificial Intelligence to be smart, quick and coordinated. The freedom of movement and your actions are what make this game so unique.

The game's engine will feature real-world physics as well as day/night cycles and weather changes. The game will feature an accurate replica of the actual reactor site with some of the most detailed and impressive outdoor environments ever seen in a video game. The X-Ray engine can include both outdoor and indoor environments with a very high polygon count. Up to 3 million polygons per frame. Average computers can usually get a frame rate of 60 frames per second. The engine also makes character animation seem real and smooth. Details in the game are high with excellent lighting and particle effects. Even the smallest objects are very detailed and look realistic.

To achieve such excellent graphics, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." will most likely have to be played on a newer computer with a good graphics card and processor. Expect the other system requirements to be pretty high as well.

The game is currently set for a 2004 release but this could change since many different things affect its release date. From what I've seen and heard of the game so far, it should be expected to have an M for Mature rating, which may not be suitable for younger players. This isn't the actual rating; it's just an educated guess.

Thank you for your time reading this letter. I would greatly appreciate if you would publish this with a good headline to make readers aware of this highly anticipated game. That is the reason I wrote it - to have it published. Please do this not only for me, but for Ukrainian youth and adults worldwide. Although video games are not the most serious subject, I think it would be nice for everyone to know that Ukraine can still show the world something.

Andrew Rud
Ridgewood, N.J.

Kuropas responds to letter writer

Dear Editor:

In his letter of August 3, Taras Kulish takes umbrage with me for criticizing the French. He calls for greater "charity" and then turns around and accuses me of being xenophobic, small-minded, non-factual and racist. Wow! I suppose that's "charity" Francophile style.

I'm pleased that Mr. Kulish had a great honeymoon in France. He speaks fluent French, of course, and the French are always kind to Francophones. Unfortunately, those of us who do not speak French in France or in Quebec aren't always treated with charity or even with respect. The French aren't exactly warm and fuzzy towards the non-French.

If Mr. Kulish rereads my column on the French, he will note that I started with certain "positives" which I appreciate about the French and made it clear that my impressions were based on a number of limited French encounters, all of which were negative. It's not as if I haven't tried to be charitable. I've traveled and lived in over 20 countries of the world and worked with many ethnic groups in the United States and never did I receive the kind of shabby treatment as I have with the French. And I'm not alone.

Mr. Kulish is entitled to his personal feelings, but to be fair he might consult "France Under the Germans: Collaboration and Compromise by Phillipe Burrin" and "Life With the Enemy: Collaboration and Resistance in Hitler's Europe, 1939-1945," by Werner Rings. An honest reading of these two excellent studies should convince any objective person that of all the European states, it was Vichy France that not only bowed to the Nazis but openly, willingly and unabashedly supported the Nazi war effort. It wasn't only Jews that the French happily turned over to Germany but any number of foreigners seeking asylum from Nazi barbarity. As for the French resistance, it was hardly breathing until the Allies invaded France and it was a certainty that the Nazis would be toppled.

Myron B. Kuropas
DeKalb, Ill.

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Opinions expressed by letter writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Ukrainian Weekly, or its publisher.

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