I almost invariably wander off into the night alone in any MMO to do my own weird thing, but they promise more than just bolting more people on, some of which can be seen in the video. Ray Of Hope developers Infinite Art promise a free, standalone FPS/RPG with the same dynamic world and and vodka-soaked horror you'd expect, with seamless transitions combining all the areas from the original games, plus the bits in between. What I've seen of this standalone mod is enough to turn my head. 'Multiplayer Stalker' is such a pipe dream that it took ten minutes of uninterrupted footage to convince me there was more than a slim chance this will deliver.

I've just now realised this is why Ray Of Hope is so named.

Despite mods, abortive sequels, and spiritual spin offs, the promise of 'like Stalker, but x' never quite comes true.