Would you recommend it to someone who isn't big on freeplay mods? Usually I find that there's not much to do in them and lose interest quickly.
I think Call of Chernobyl can be worth your time even if you arent into the freeplay idea. There is a story mode included which I personally have never touched, along with couple of other game modes as well so it is not "just" freeplay. Definitely if you will go for CoC thought, you are best out when you get yourself some addons to spice it up. Popular addons such as Arsenal Overhaul, Outfit addon and Smurths Dynamic HUD are ones that I run with. Call of Misery is also a popular addon which needs an older version of CoC so I havent tried it out (yet). So if you were into Misery and wanted to have that experience for more than just the regular three Call of Pripyat areas, now you can experience it.
There are mini missions in the regular Call of Chernobyl gamemode as well which gives you a reason to explore the Zone all out but these are some times a bit of a pain in the neck to get sorted and I've ran into situations when I cannot complete them for unknown reasons. However, the regular gamemode does focus on the freeplay aspect. CoC on its own without addons is fine but I highly suggest you get some addons to run with it to make it more interesting and if you are like me and you do multiple characters on different factions, it makes it more varied when it comes to how to gear your character out.
I am propably the wrong person to ask wether I'd recommend the mod for someone who isnt into freeplay that much. I personally thought freeplay was the best aspect of any STALKER game. Sure I liked the stories too but I liked it when after completing the game I could just go on about my own business in the Zone. And since CoC is all about the freeplay, thats right down my alley. There is a high risk that you would not like CoC if you arent into freeplay. You can minimize the "not much to do" factor by getting yourself addons which should make things more interesting, but it would propably not make a huge difference in the long run.
However, if you are interested in trying out CoC and want to have some tips for addons I use, heres the addons page where you can get all addons for it:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addonsList of addons I play CoC with:
- Arsenal Overhaul
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addons/arsenal-overhaul- Increased weapon damage for Arsenal Overhaul
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addons/pavolpi- Outfit Addon
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addons/outfit-addon-coc- Dynamic Faction Relations
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addons/doctorx-dynamic-faction-relations- Dynamic HUD
http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl/addons/smurths-dynamic-hudv2151410aoowrstcopoa- Russian Audio (Makes all characters and radios and such speak russian, sorry I dont have a link to this anymore)
CoC and some of the addons included in that list (mainly Dynamic HUD) lets you to tailor your gameplay quite freely, wether you want emissions to happen or not, how often they happen, do you want longer repair times, do you want helicopter patrols etc etc. You can tailor your CoC experience quite freely and make it as hard or as easy as you like. Wether this makes it more interesting to your or not and keeps you interested in it is something I of course cannot guarantee or even predict.
But if you have Call of Pripyat (which btw you dont need to have installed, CoC is kinda standalone...) and you have a decent internet connection, why not give it a go? Try it out as regular CoC and if you see any sort of potential in it, explore the wonderful world of addons, wether it be simple weapon addon or something as big as Call of Misery.
I personally have enjoyed CoC tremendously and I personally think that to a STALKER vet like myself, it is a perfect mod when you dont care about doing the same story over and over. Now you can make your own STALKER and have him your own story, if you are into RP stuff.