Guide
When’s the next lore drop? What quests are coming? What’s the true source of Murmur’s power?
We have collected the most interesting and popular questions from players and the head of the narrative department, Frozen_Light, shared the answers with us.
Frozen_Light: If only we knew… As soon as the game design department comes and says we're ready, work on the next part will start. By the way, the plot is already on paper, conceptually.
Frozen_Light: The Third Arc is complete at the concept level. Before you ask, yes, we know how it all ends. But the plot is one thing, and our lore and setting development is another, which we are currently deepening and removing from the rudiments of the original. There is a lot of work to do.
Frozen_Light: That is definitely part of the plan. As soon as the opportunity arises, we will take on such quest lines.
Frozen_Light: I don't want to talk about rewards. Since this is more about balance issues. But there are indeed plans to develop endgame quests. But first, we need to decide on the endgame gameplay. You can't create a good narrative without gameplay.
Frozen_Light: Murmur is the result of experiments with Neo-Mind, but not obedience, rather unity of mind. Not perfect enough — there were some issues. Later, volunteers and other guinea pigs joined the Neo-Mind defenders, equipped with “firmware” or “software” whose sole purpose was to protect scientists, or, as the “software” said, to serve the Murmur, who gave them orders. Pripyat is one of the closest towns to CHNPP, to the place where it all began. They keep the secrets of the Zone and do so with the pragmatism of a machine. I will say only one thing about bioengineering: THEY ARE NOT INVOLVED IN CLONING. And everything else, as the plot unfolds.
Frozen_Light: We have separate locations for Operations. And of course we have plans for the remaining places in the Zone. The main thing is to have the resources, and we'll figure something out.
Frozen_Light: I cannot reveal even the slightest detail here. But let me put it this way: “And that’s a good question, detective”.
Frozen_Light: Nods slightly
Frozen_Light: I doubt it will be available immediately upon release. Although, anything is possible. I would like to see quest lines and chains there. The only question is the gameplay.
Frozen_Light: The Zone is complex and diverse. It always has something surprising to offer. And it decides for itself when to change and show something new. No one knows in advance what it might do next.
Frozen_Light: In the Northern storyline, NINA mentions this. So indirectly, at least one legend has already appeared behind the scenes.
Frozen_Light: An alternative reality with an alternative global and local economy.
Frozen_Light: No.
Frozen_Light: It will be. Furthermore, this quest features unique dialogue and solutions depending on which northern faction the player has joined.
Frozen_Light: We create content that we ourselves would find interesting. Doing something in an attempt to keep up with trends or fashions is considered bad manners. You have to feel what you write in order to be sincere in your story. And we strive to be sincere.
Frozen_Light: It is important to distinguish between preparation and the event itself. The preparations affected the entire Zone and the entire Open World. It had to resonate with people and engage them, so many aspects of the narrative's impact were worked out and detailed. In turn, when the event directly related to military assistance began, the gameplay of the separate event took priority, so it was necessary to create a narrative that would complement the main gameplay without distracting attention from it. Again, did you listen to the propaganda of Murmur? In every word there is truth/form/essence/understanding.
It's hard to believe that Covenant decided to help the military when we were previously ordered to literally destroy them in our missions.
Frozen_Light: Metropolite, no matter how prophetic he may be, is first and foremost a human being. And he is an intelligent man. He understands that sometimes it is necessary to join forces with the enemy in order to avoid being destroyed by the elements. And Murmur is an inexorable element. And if they had succeeded, the Covenant and other factions would have been in mortal danger. On one side of the scales is anger over the death of the Covenant brothers, and on the other is total genocide by a mysterious group from the Centre of the Zone. The choice is obvious.
It seems more plausible to me that the Covenant will side with the Murmur to “protect” the zone from sinners, rather than this.
Frozen_Light: That would be a terrible mistake on the part of the Metropolite and the Covenant. Murmur does not need allies. They need bodies. They need biomaterial.
Frozen_Light: The issue is being worked on with the game design department.
Frozen_Light: Yes, we are working on it. Reactions, mentions in other quests, and rumours. We are working on a deeper immersion than before.
Frozen_Light: If there are resources of level art, then why not? I am a big fan of “Show, don't tell”. Especially when it comes to game levels.
Frozen_Light: Let's start with the fact that we don't use Stalker's plot paths. Furthermore, references to original entities with altered names tend to have the status of legendary, semi-mythical events that almost no one remembers. Yes, some fan service will pop up one way or another, but in extremely homeopathic quantities. We have our own world, our own universe.