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Adventure Tourism Is For Pussies, Let's Visit the Zone!
Introduction
With the recent leak and subsequent release of the CoCk, a total freeplay mod for Call of Pripyat, what better time to take a look at its forerunner, Doom's Mod Merge? So what is Doom's Mod Merge? Doom's Mod Merge (DMM for short), is a Shadow Of Chernobyl mod that lets us start as any faction and explore the zone at our leisure. We can do missions, go artifact hunting, mutant hunting, bandit hunting, hunting hunting, or just drink vodka by the fireplace and wait for something to happen. In addition, it contains a revamped and vastly expanded arsenal with all the guns of LURK 1.1, nearly 70 with several variants in different calibers so if you're 
on guns like I am DMM has what you need. Unlike the CoCk, it has only the maps from Shadow of Chernobyl, but that's still a few dozen square kilometers of action and adventure. Finally, it has tweaked, improved, and unchained AI that will wander the zone, get in fights, search for loot, and generally do their own thing while you're not around. But like those midnight infomercials wait, there's more! The DMM I'm using, an offshoot by /sg/ named Anon Edition, also features blowouts, new mutants, graphics overhaul, a new minimalist UI, and some other snazzy bells and whistles. In case it's not obvious, I really like DMM:AE alright I said it, cut me a check GSC.
"But what's this Shady Cherub thing?" AKA Game Info For the Unaware
Shadow Of Chernobyl, full name: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow Of Chernobyl is a free-roaming FPS/RPG hybrid famous first for its development. An almost Duke Nukem Forever tale of delays, redesigns, and chasing the next E3 milestone that took 6 years. What's memorable about the game is its atmosphere: equal parts oppressive, tense, and banal it's about the most engrossing of any man-shooty game ever made. If you want to hear a story just ask anyone who's played it about their first encounter with a bloodsucker. It's also invested more in its AI than about any game since Half-Life 2, and has intelligent creature and NPC AI that will act intelligently alone or together in almost any scenario. It was so capable that an NPC could reportedly beat the game unassisted, and GSC actually had to gimp it significantly for the retail release. But what's most impressive is its "offline A-life", a system that simulates the environment and all of its inhabitants even when the player's not around. NPCs and creatures migrate, get in fights, and go artifact hunting whether the player is right there, or several kilometers away. It's pretty neat, and makes the world feel alive, far more so than other open-world games. And that world is the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where mysterious government experiments have caused a not-nuclear explosion that cleansed the surrounding area of humanity and mutated the wildlife into awesome and terrifying beasts. Now anyone that wanders too close to the nuclear reactor gets their brain scrambled like an egg, or worse, which is a real shame because that's where the greatest concentration of artifacts are. Artifacts here being strange and wonderful rocks that defy the laws of physics are wonderfully prized by researchers all over the world. Enter a new generation of very illegal Slavic '49ers, stalkers.
"What about the LP?"
The LP will be a series of ironman games where the posters (you) decide on a stalker and faction, goal, and possibly some handicaps then see how long he can survive the horrors of the zone. I'll try and keep the LP more on the CYOA side, and leave everyone as many opportunities for people to issue commands/suggestions as possible. The updates themselves will be open commentary with a slight hint of roleplaying to keep things interesting. I'll try and keep it to a full stalker a week, but at the very least an update a week. Hopefully by the time all's said and done we'll have seen just about the entire zone and experienced all of the different factions.
Rules
I have exactly one rule:
There is to be absolutely no mention of Cheeki Breeki in this thread. No exceptions. (That includes Русский.)
Encyclopedia
This section contains world and faction information for the uninitiated.
Loners
More of a catchall term than any single entity, Loners are everyone who chose not to align themselves with another faction, and make up the lion's share of stalkers in the zone. Despite being largely unaffiliated, there is a sentiment of solidarity amongst loners, and they will generally rally to each others' aid. They are almost entirely composed of people who came to the zone either to try and strike it rich or to the escape the long arm of the law and as such have a hugely diverse range of professions, skills, and backgrounds. Loners tend not to refer to each other as such, preferring instead the term "free stalkers" or just "stalkers". The protagonist of the vanilla game, "Marked One" is part of this faction and the one most players are familiar with.
Favored Equipment: N/A
Major Bases: Cordon, Bar
Allied Factions: N/A
Hostile Factions: Bandits, Military, Mercenaries, Monolith
Handicaps: Cannot loot fellow stalkers
Difficulty: Normal, scattered threats throughout the zone but plenty of friendly or at least safe territory to return to.
Bandits
One of the most universally despised factions, the bandits basically consist of anyone whose main income is derived from robbery and murder. Despite the name, the bandit faction is surprisingly well organized, operating more or less as a criminal syndicate under the leader Borov. Because of this, bandits generally avoid confrontation with one another, and in this sense very closely resemble any of the other factions operating in the zone, even possessing a major fortress and relative safe zone in the Dark Valley.
Favored Equipment: Shotguns, light armor
Major Bases: Dark Valley
Allied Factions: N/A
Hostile Factions: Loners, Military, Ecologists, Duty, Monolith
Handicaps:
Difficulty: Hard, few friendly factions and poor equipment to choose from.
Military
Regular military units entrusted with the safe-keeping of the surrounding area from the zone. The military's primary responsibility is maintaining the protective cordon around the zone, preventing unauthorized entrance to and exit from the exclusion zone. However, they are also responsible for various incursions into the zone to assist in artifact gathering for the ecologists as well as various clandestine operations. Because the military is one of only two factions legally permitted to enter the zone and makes a point of it to everyone else, they have severe difficulty operating beyond the perimeter.
Favored Equipment: Warsaw Pact firearms, heavy armor
Major Bases: Cordon, Agroprom
Allied Factions: Ecologists
Hostile Factions: Loners, Bandits, Duty, Freedom, Mercenaries, Monolith
Handicaps: Cannot use NATO weapons
Difficulty: Very hard, almost no safe zones and what few there are are near to the outer rim.
Ecologists
A smattering of Ukrainian scientists and researchers sent to study the zone. They operate primarily out of a field bunker in Lake Yantar, but otherwise have a very small presence in the zone. They are a favorite of loners for the high prices they pay on artifacts, but are largely ignored by most of the other factions. While officially government sponsored, they rely primarily upon Duty for protection.
Favored Equipment: Small caliber rifles and PDWs, radiation suits
Major Bases: Yantar
Allied Factions: Military, Duty, Freedom
Hostile Factions: Bandits, Mercenaries, Monolith
Handicaps: Must buy artifacts from everyone that has one, can only sell them to Sakharov
Difficulty: Very easy, friendly with most factions
Duty
Duty is a paramilitary organization dedicated to securing the zone. The closest thing to a local police force, the faction is primarily concerned with the destruction of dangerous elements, and to this end frequently conducts mutant hunts, search and destroy missions, and raids on organized bandit forces. Any resources not already committed to securing areas of strategic significance is generally spent trying to find a way to completely destroy the zone. Their outlook is best summarized by the laconic "Why are we called Duty? Because if we don't, who will?". Despite their malice towards the zone, they work very closely with the Ecologists, guarding them on expeditions, protecting their bunker, and donating scavenged artifacts to them. Despite many superficial similarities between Duty and the Military, they are publicly hostile towards each other, and encounters between the two tend to end in gunfire.
Favored Equipment: Warsaw Pact rifles/shotguns/machineguns, rocket/grenade launchers, heavy armor, exoskeletons
Major Bases: Bar
Allied Factions: Ecologists
Hostile Factions: Bandits, Military, Freedom, Mercenaries, Monolith
Handicaps: Must engage dangerous mutants, Must respond to all distress signals in vicinity, Must sell artifacts to Sakharov
Difficulty: Normal, many hostile factions but excellent equipment
Freedom
Counterpart to Duty, Freedom is a pseudo-anarchist movement primarily concerned with ensuring free access for anyone to study and visit the zone. They consider the zone a gift to humanity, and cite the immense potential of artifacts for scientific advancement as proof. Their high-minded ideology stands in marked contrast to Duty's pragmatism, and the two factions difference of opinion has rendered them irreconcilable enemies. It doesn't help that Freedom is something of a counter-culture icon in the zone, particularly notable for its lax organization, marijuana use, and the surprising autonomy its members enjoy. But make no mistake, Freedom's fighters are extremely capable, able to hold their own in almost any engagement and do so quite well. There are rumors that Freedom receives significant support from an unknown Western power(s?).
Favored Equipment: NATO rifles, light armor
Major Bases: Army Warehouses
Allied Factions: Ecologists
Hostile Factions: Military, Duty, Mercenaries, Monolith7
Handicaps: Must respond to friendly distress signals, Cannot retreat from Monolith
Difficulty: Easy, many safe zones and great equipment
Mercenaries
An unspecified faction of primarily Western mercenaries operating in the Zone, for what purpose is unclear. The best knowledge available is speculative: they've had numerous run-ins with the Ecologists, suggesting they're likely connected in some way to the Ecologists' research. They appear to compromise a single faction, suggesting whoever hired them has deep pockets indeed. Because they respond to any inquiries with gunfire, they are ostracized by everyone except the bandits, with whom they may(?) do business with.
Favored Equipment: NATO firearms
Major Bases: Army Warehouses, Wild Territory
Allied Factions: N/A
Hostile Factions: Loners, Bandits, Military, Ecologists, Duty, Freedom, Monolith
Handicaps: Cannot gather mutant parts
Difficulty: Extremely Hard, Hostile to almost everyone, bases constantly under siege, traders and quest-givers usually die quickly
Monolith
A group of religious fanatics that inhabit the center of the Zone and fight tenaciously to defend it from invaders. Their mental state is questionable as they appear to be capable of speech and engage in unit tactics during firefights, but show no visible signs of humanity. What's more curious however, is their composition. They are completely encircled, leaving no way to ferry men and materiel, yet they have a seemingly limitless number of recruits and possess top of the line equipment. Stalkers' explanations for new Monolith fighters are particularly colorful: suggestions include underground tunnels to the outside world, cloning facilities, alien intervention, an underground city, spawning from a doughy bread-like material a la soylent-green-in-reverse, and even mass hysteria from mind control.
Favored Equipment: N/A
Major Bases: Pripyat, Chernobyl NPP
Allied Factions: N/A
Hostile Factions: Everyone
Handicaps: Cannot retreat, Cannot sell mutant parts
Difficulty: Variable, Strong near center of Zone, quickly loses influence as distance increases
Map
A full map of the Zone is provided, along with each of the major areas. Points of interest are circled, transitions from one area to another are marked with different colored dots.
General Area
1. Cordon
Known colloquially to as the "antechamber" or "escape", the Cordon is a mostly safe zone on the outskirts of the Zone where rookies can find their proverbial sea-legs. It's generally pretty quiet as long as no one angers the Military, but Loner-Bandit skirmishes aren't uncommon. Cordon has a Military outpost, a large Loner camp home to the trader Sidorovich, and scattered camps of Loners and Bandits.
Points Of Interest & Transit:
1. Military Base, Military Trader
2. Rookie base, Trader Sidorovich
3. Bandit camp
4. Bandit camp
Blue. Leads to Dark Valley
Green. Leads to Agroprom
Red. Leads to Garbage
2. Agroprom
Short for "Agroprom Research Facility", the Agroprom was--as the name suggests--a major government base of research that has since become a major military base. The heavy army presence means there's usually nothing going on on the surface, but army patrols will occasionally wander into a group of hunters or a controller. Agroprom is also home a sprawling underground that houses a bandit camp and some unknown horrors.
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1. Military base
2. Entrance to Agroprom Underground
3. Irradiated basin
4. Entrance to Agroprom Underground
5. Contested area
Green. Leads to Cordon
Yellow. Leads to Garbage
Red. Leads to Yantar
3. Garbage
The Garbage is an old dump and vehicle scrapyard that has since become quite a bit more active. For whatever reason, it generates more than its fair share of artifacts and as such is preyed upon by Loners, who are then preyed upon by Bandits, in turn preyed upon by Duty. There's quite a bit of human action, but little in the way of mutants. The Garbage has numerous Loner and Bandit camps, and a Duty barricade.
1. Contested area, Nominally Loner camp
2. Bandit camp
3. Bandit camp
4. Bandit camp
5. Loner camp
6. Duty camp
Red. Leads to Cordon
Yellow. Leads to Agroprom
Green. Leads to Dark Valley
Blue. Leads to The Bar
4. Dark Valley
The Dark Valley is a sprawling factory that has since become the Bandits' main base of operations. It's a rather large area full of mutants, so excercise caution. It has two bandit bases, a small Duty camp, a Loner camp, and a mysterious underground lab.
1. Loner camp
2. Bandit base, Underground lab
3. Bandit base, Bandit trader
Blue. Leads to Cordon
Green. Leads to Garbage
Red. Leads to Red Forest
Yellow. Leads to Army Warehouses
5. Yantar
Yantar is a shallow basin housing the research complex "X-16", notable for an unknown emitter that would fry the brains of anyone who got close until it was shut down by the Marked One. In addition to the complex, there's also a swamp and the Ecologists bunker, guarded by a Duty detachment. Extreme caution should be excercised in the area, it's a hotbed of mutant activity and extremely likely that you'll encounter at least one of, if not multiple of the following: Controller, Burer, Snorks, Zombies.
1. Swamp basin, Snork den
2. Ecologist bunker, Duty camp
3. Contested area, Nominally Ecologist/Loner camp
4. Mutant den, Entrance to underground lab
Red. Leads to Agroprom
Green. Leads to Wild Territory
Blue. Leads to Red Forest
6. Wild Territory
An indicative name if there ever was one, the Wild Territory is just that: wild. Forming one half of the Rostok industrial area, it's a clusterfuck of mutants, mercenaries, bandits, and stalkers duking it out battle royale for all of the valuable nothing here. Avoid if possible. There's a small mercenary base and loner/duty camp here.
1. Dog den
2. Mercenary base
3. Mercenary camp
4. Duty/Loner camp
Green. Leads to Yantar
Blue. Leads to Army Warehouses
Yellow. Leads to The Bar
7. The Bar
The other half of Rostok, the Bar is the polar opposite of the Wild Territory, and something of an oasis in the desert. It's a relative safe zone where Duty have made their home along with the Bar Man, the other major trader in the Zone. The bar is about the best place to rest and refit between expeditions and stalkers migrate to it en masse.
1. Dog den
2. Duty guard post
3. Trader Barman
4. Gladiatorial arena (really)
5. Duty base
6. Duty guard post
Blue. Leads to Garbage
Yellow. Leads to Wild Territory
Red. Leads to Army Warehouses
8. Army Warehouses
Named for a nearby army base whose inhabitants were destroyed in a recent blowout, there's actually a lot more to the area than the name suggests. Notable is a nearby mine field, Duty farmstead, Mercenary encampment at another farmstead, village infested with bloodsuckers, and the barrier: a barricade manned by Freedom to repel the constant Monolith attacks coming from the center of the Zone. With so much going on, things get awfully hectic and it's highly recommended to spend as little time outside the actual warehouses as possible.
1. Duty camp
2. Freedom base, Trader Skinflint
3. Minefield
4. Bloodsucker village
5. Loner camp
6. Mercenary camp
7. Mercenary base, Mercenary trader
8. Freedom guard post
Yellow. Leads to Dark Valley
Red. Leads to The Bar
Blue. Leads to Wild Territory
Green. Leads to Red Forest
9. Red Forest
A rather depressing place, the Red Forest is so named for the native vegetation, which following the original Chernobyl incident for the most part turned red and died from the radiation. Neither the local flora or fauna ever fully recovered, and have since been usurped by hordes of mutants and Monolith fighters, making the area very dangerous indeed. Nonetheless, Freedom, Duty, Ecologist, and even the occasional Mercenary or Loner expedition is common, as the Red Forest is the only way to reach Pripyat and the treasure trove of artifacts within. The only noteworthy landmark is a Monolith base in the west and the lab below, where the Brain Scorcher was previously active.
1. Monolith base, Underground lab
Green. Leads to Army Warehouse
Blue. Leads to Yantar
Yellow. Leads to Pripyat
Red. Leads to Dark Valley
10. Pripyat
The infamous city abandoned in the wake of the disaster, Pripyat has since become home to the Monolith, and scores of fighters patrol the streets and maintain vigil from assorted windows, balconies, and other such perches; and that's before even taking into account the rather sizable mutant presence. Even so, numerous stalkers risk the dangers for the wealth of artifacts that can be found. A lucky haul will often return enough to retire on, quite a tempting prospect. For any venturing into Pripyat, it's highly recommended to travel light, move only at night, and keep indoors whenever possible. The two landmarks of note are the Monolith HQ near the center of Pripyat and a massive stadium on the north side of the city. There are scattered Monolith and Stalker camps throughout the city, but most never persist for more than a day.
1. Apartment block, Monolith kill-zone
2. Monolith base, Monolith trader
3. Stadium
Yellow. Leads to Red Forest
Red. Leads to Chernobyl NPP
11 & 12. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The titular power plant and site of the original disaster, the NPP is in better condition than one would expect. Most of the radiation in the area has since disappeared and left the area more-or-less inhabitable, save for the occasional blowout. The whole area has an atmosphere of tranquility, and despite its comparatively accomodating environment is sparsely populated, with an almost total absence of mutants and only token Monolith squads guarding the perimeter. Rumor has it that the wish-granter is nested somewhere, deep inside the facility, but to date there have been no confirmed reports as to its exact location, or even confirming its existence. Save of course for the power plant itself there are no landmarks to speak of, nor any large human settlements, only the eerie quiet of entropy.
1. Possible entry to NPP(?)
Blue. Transit between North-West and South-West of NPP
Yellow Transit between North-East and South-East of NPP