Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines (spoilers ahead)

[Acleacius]

Originally Posted by DarthParametric

Not sure this warrants its own thread - you could have just posted it in the Bloodlines thread.

The reason I didn't post it in the Bloodlines thread, it isn't about Bloodlines the game. It's the official site became so unfunded, it was impossible to maintain, so the moderators bought the content Redemption, Bloodlines and the new mmog to start a functioning up to date site.

Good luck with it all I guess,

Surely, they appreciate it.
I am not part of the site, might have missed it here (I did look) but this news is a couple of months old, surely some on the site would like to know. This wasn't intended as some self promotion, I'm just a fan of WoD and Vampire games. So the only way I would benefit is if more mods get made.

although I've only ever bothered with the unofficial patch and that was always hosted elsewhere so I never had much use for the site.

I understand there are people who like playing the game in the broken and unfinished state. The same is true of many RPGs, many purists won't use Unofficial Patches or Mods no matter how beneficial. There's room for everyone, afik.

The rest of the Bloodlines mods always seemed pretty bleh to me, but to be fair I guess you can say that about 95% of most game mods (KOTOR included).

Imo, there is nothing more valuable in the gaming community then than the Modder/Fixers. I couldn't imagine playing the greatest RPGs to date without community fixes and mods. Games like Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 New Vegas, Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale 2, Planescape Torment, KotOR, KotOR 2.....my fingers would go numb listing them all. KotOR series wouldn't be nearly as great without all the work you guys do here and I am not sure it's possible to thank you all enough!

I hope there are others interested in the Vampire community, as we all are in the KotOR community!

[Jae Onasi]

I went ahead and merged the "Planet Vampire staff resigns" thread with this one--Acleacius, I think it'll actually get more views here than on its own once it falls off the front page.

Thanks for the update, Acleacius!

[Acleacius]

Wesp has released a new patch!!!!

Download: www.patches-scrolls.de/vampire_bloodlines.php

As always, please feel free to post comments and suggestions here. We're still looking for translators for this patch into other languages. Please contact bloodlines@patches-scrolls.de if you are willing to help.

(+) Denotes changes only available to players of Plus Edition.

Changes in 7.3:
+Moved Yukie temple end trigger and fixed spider chick Boil reaction.
+Corrected a Giovanni candidate quest state and removed entry items.
+Made inspection particles a bit less intrusive, thanks to ZylonBane.
Restored GLOCK to cop on the pier and mafia patrol to Empire hotel.
Corrected conditions for mentioning Rossilini and other text issues.
Fixed problems on approaching Skelter and during the intro walkout.


BTW: Attention anyone playing this version!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need some feed back on Nadia, the hot Giovanni girl who wants to get naked in the Embalming Room. Just as a test, once you enter the Manson SAVE YOUR GAME, so you can come back there and start your normal play (this should only take you 5 minutes to test)

Head strait to Nadia let her take you somewhere more private. You will zone to the Embalming room, what we need to do.

Don't talk to her or try to open the door downstairs. Walk around the room a bit, maybe pick up your book or walk around near the door you came in and the switch. This is the important part do you notice yourself going in and out of Combat mode?

There seems to be Zombies spawning too soon AND they seem to see through the floor a level or two below you. If you are having problems it would be a great if you could post here.

[CrisG]

I have returned to the game and finally made it Downtown, and to Hollywood even, it gets better and better and the settings and the characters are amazing. I sucked at the Graveyard Get the Zombies thing, they got me big time...lol but it is just such a fantastic game. That haunted house was awesome that the Doctor had, except the interior was a bit depressing and boring after the amazing exterior..but I really love all that i have seen. the only problem is that it is so creepy and dark that i have to ration my playing so i dont get depressed and unable to keep working lol....thanks for all the help and encouragement here. I have not had any game stopping bugs yet, thanks to the latest version of the huge unoffical patch, i used the full patch that adds back in all the extra content as I love all the little details. Having grown up on the west coast back before and during the time of the game, it is all very familar tho i never really hung out in such depressing haunts as are shown in the game. I will post some pics soon.

[Q]

The game is all about atmosphere. I found the environments exhilarating instead of depressing; probably because I knew that I was a badassed monster who could likely handle anything that was thrown at me.

And, unless I'm playing as a Toreador or Brujah, I skip the zombie quest and pimp for Romero instead. It's just not worth the frustration. I managed to beat it once as a Nossie, but I was never able to do it again without Celerity.

[DarthParametric]

Yeah I never managed it with a character that didn't have Celerity either. You just can't get between the gates fast enough without it.

[Q]

Yeah, the time I beat it with a Nosferatu was definitely a fluke. I was never able to repeat it and eventually gave up trying.

[Tommycat]

I dunno, I usually beat it quite well. I usually forgo the rifle and just go for the sledge. When you swing use your directional movement buttons to change how you attack. Beat the tar out of a bunch at a time. Of course if you're a tremere, you can also use blood magic... Go to the top gate first. Beat them down. If there's one or two, get them mad at you so they chase you rather than go for the gate. Head down to the other gate, swing sideways to take out more at once. Brawling and melee is where I spent most of my fighting points. Guns were a waste of time for me. Plus I always seemed to run out of ammo when I needed it lol. But I beat it almost every time with no celerity...

Yes, you can change how you swing at them...
You didn't know that?
I didn't either the first time through...

Also, Shotties for when you use guns. Go for head shots. People in Hollywood are always looking to get a new head shot

[CrisG]

I am glad i am not the only one who had a hard time with the Zombies...and yes the atmosphere is amazing, really remarkable. I love the detail and the beauty of the scenes, it really is nice, and I am noting as I go along, the ladies are also quite beautiful...tho most of them are quite dangerous in their own way.

[DarthParametric]

They did pretty well with what essentially amounted to a beta version of the Source engine. Ultimately the engine was the biggest drawback in many ways, certainly in the terms of the environments at least and the maximum size limits it imposed.

[Achilles]

Originally Posted by Q

And, unless I'm playing as a Toreador or Brujah, I skip the zombie quest and pimp for Romero instead. It's just not worth the frustration. I managed to beat it once as a Nossie, but I was never able to do it again without Celerity.

I used the community modding tools to jigger the spawn intervals

[CrisG]

The Santa Monica level is very nicely done, the beach area is specially nice and full of subtle touches and beauty of its own. Very haunting and lovely use of textures and lighting. They put detail into areas that were only barely viewable from the game paths....that sort of attention to detail is rare and highly prized...

[CrisG]

I have a question..for those who know this game well..are the different clans that different ti start and play? I was wondering if you still start in Santa Monica and have the same basic quests...i started as a Torreodor. Just wondering.

[Q]

You get a different haven later in the game if you're a Tremere or a Nosferatu, but otherwise it's the same. The exception is playing as a Malkavian, where the dialog is very different (and hilarious).

[SITH LORD 872]

Originally Posted by Q

You get a different haven later in the game if you're a Tremere or a Nosferatu, but otherwise it's the same. The exception is playing as a Malkavian, where the dialog is very different (and hilarious).

Dialog being funny doesn't describe it LOL! The character sounds like a 2yr old!

[Jae Onasi]

Originally Posted by SITH LORD 872

Dialog being funny doesn't describe it LOL! The character sounds like a 2yr old!

Especially the chat with the stop sign.

The female Malkavian dialogue lines with VV definitely give some unique insight on VV's character.

[CrisG]

ah ha, cool. I have heard about the stop sign but was not sure where that was.

I got the upgraded haven in downtown, with the fish tank, that is fun to watch...also the live in girl....she is very eager but i figure this is a non R rated game so i am guessing her services will be getting me money and blood when i need it.

[Lotus fleet sure looks cool...]

[Jae Onasi]

It helps to complete the game with a more 'normal' clan and then do the Malkavian playthrough, otherwise you'd be totally lost.

Yep, Lotus Fleet is a lot of fun. If you like Star Trek, you'll enjoy the group.

[DarthParametric]

Originally Posted by Jae Onasi

The female Malkavian dialogue lines with VV definitely give some unique insight on VV's character.

I never play as a female character. Care to expand on that?

Originally Posted by CrisG

...also the live in girl....

Heather. Yeah she doesn't do much beyond what you suggest, aside from parading around half-naked if you ask. Malkavians win again here though as not only does a Malk Heather go a bit loopy herself, she gives you an awesome pimp suit late in the game.

[CrisG]

I must say the creators of this game has a huge imagination and a lot of energy to add all of these options. I can see why there ended up some bugs that the community patches help a lot on..with all these branching trees of possiblitiy with all the quests. In my play thru my character asked Heather to change her appearance, but i have not been back yet to see what she may do about it. Could be interesting but I am too busy in Hollyweird.

[DarthParametric]

Heather has 3 appearances. The default one you first see her in, a goth chick outfit (blech) and the skimpy outfit.

As far as bugs go, you can put that down to two things. The first is the fact they were using an early version of Source, so I imagine in many ways they were pioneers, finding issues even Valve wasn't aware of at the time. The second is that Troika, in the same way as Obsidian, had the Black Isle disease of overreaching beyond their budget, timeframe, and talent (at least in terms of QC). Utimately that was their downfall.

[CrisG]

Ah thanks Darth, and that is very interesting re Troika, i wondered about the development, it sure must have been a large and complex project to design so many branches to the plot and variations. It is indeed similar it sounds like to what happened to KoTOR 2 with all the lost and dropped content. thanks for that insight, it helps understand. Pretty amazing what the community mod packs are achieving. I have not hit any game stopping bugs yet, just some plot lines that dont appear to show up....but nothing major.

[DarthParametric]

The only real show stopper I recall was a bug that caused a crash on a level load in the latter half of the game. It was resolved in one of the official patches. Most of the other problems were relatively minor, performance issues being the major bugbear (but again that was probably only half their fault given the state of the engine). I think funding, or more specifically lack thereof, was their primary problem. They just tried to do too much with too little and could never recoup the investment of their bankrollers, for which they paid the price. It's a great shame as I would much rather have seen Troika survive and Obsidian go down in flames instead, as to my way of thinking the real talent of Black Isle ended up at Troika.

[Q]

I have to agree with you about Troika vs Obsidian, with the exception of Chris Avellone.

To me, Boyarsky+Cain+Avellone+some omnipotent project overlord to keep them in line and enforce good QA (concerning not just bugs, but game balance as well) could very well result in cRPG perfection.

[DarthParametric]

I've always though Avellone was overrated personally. I like some of his stuff sure, but I've never understood the fanboyism he seems to inspire. The thing that annoys me most about him is all the interviews he gives where he prattles on about all the things that are the hallmarks of excellent RPG design, yet few of them are evident in any of Obsidian's games, the company he is chief creative officer of.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Going Giovanni on this thread.


I just finished playing this game. Looking past the hilarious animation, dated graphics, laughable AI, and lack of polish, I immensely enjoyed playing through it. I couldn't put it down.

My favourite part of this game was the narrative, especially in the latter end of the game when it was really building up. I also like the levelling system and provisions for very organic playstyles. And especially how you don't get XP for killing enemies - that's just gold.
The lore was interesting, too.

The haunted house level was probably the scariest level I've ever played in a non-horror video game. The abandoned sewers got to me too. *shudder*
The game is probably the first gothic-punk movie/video game I've seen. Interesting atmosphere; very close to cyberpunk.

All this said though, after playing through and seeing all the different endings, i feel sorely disappointed.

Show spoiler

40+ hours of playing to get a barely 2 minute pathetic ending that shows nothing of how your actions affect the kindred world in L.A., which you have, up to this point, been cultivating with carefully chosen dialogue options and actions (and, which was arguably what a huge portion of the game was about).

Disregarding that it did foil my half-game-long intentions/plans regarding the sarcophagus, I consider the part in the ending involving the sarcophagus to be a merit to to the writing, and the game experience as a whole.

At this point, I'm headcanoning the 'Legend' ending, though it doesn't fit my hopes completely: my character was a talker; a diplomat (that liked Nines to boot). He would have stopped to tell Nines his reasons for leaving the conflict, instead of just walking past and giving him the finger. As badass as that is, it communicates only one of the various dispositions available to your character through the game. I suppose the lack of ending options/permutations preserving consistency with playthrough-chosen actions is probably a result of a rushed game development cycle.

Overall, a good experience. I will probably play through again. This playthrough was a Toreador with playstyle being diplomacy/stealth/melee.

Next time, I'll probably try being a Malkavian.

[Q]

Hey, JIGOS.

Are you using the unofficial patch? It's highly recommended.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

I used the True Patch Gold Edition. I considered the Unofficial Patch, but i prefer the idea of playing the game for the first time with no extra content - only bug fixes.

[Rtas Vadum]

Originally Posted by JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan

I used the True Patch Gold Edition. I considered the Unofficial Patch, but i prefer the idea of playing the game for the first time with no extra content - only bug fixes.

The unofficial patch comes in two versions, Basic and Plus(which are selectable during installation). Basic is mostly just bug fixes, while the plus version restores things to the game.

[Q]

There was a huge internet drama about the two patches a few years back, where, supposedly, the modders of True patch had stolen files from the Unofficial patch. That's not supposed to be the case, now, but the whole thing left me soured towards the "True" patch to the point that I won't even consider using it.

The Unofficial patch's "basic" option makes the True patch irrelevant, anyway.

[Rtas Vadum]

Originally Posted by Q

There was a huge internet drama about the two patches a few years back, where, supposedly, the modders of True patch had stolen files from the Unofficial patch. That's not supposed to be the case, now, but the whole thing left me soured towards the "True" patch to the point that I won't even consider using it.

The Unofficial patch's "basic" option makes the True patch irrelevant, anyway.

Although I don't intend on bringing that here(I wasn't really involved with it anyway), but it doesn't help how the author of the True Patch acts. He seems to consider the UP a mod, even if any patch for a game can be considered such.

I might've considered using the True patch back when I first bought the game(around '09), but at that point I wasn't sure about the UP either(I wasn't sure how much it changed, although I wasn't worried about the same things some would be). At this point, I'm fine with the UP.

[Hassat Hunter]

I stick with the official 1.2

Yup, and that coming from one of the TSLRCM guys. Crazy, huh?

[Rtas Vadum]

Originally Posted by Hassat Hunter

I stick with the official 1.2

Yup, and that coming from one of the TSLRCM guys. Crazy, huh?

Not too crazy. Although there is a difference between the two games. TSL is built with a stable engine, and the crashes are either random, or caused by conflicts with mods(I wouldn't say K1 is exempt, since I've had it crash randomly as well). Bloodlines, however, was built with an early version of the Source engine, which obviously isn't the same version that was used in the released version of Half-Life 2.

As for the patch/restoration efforts, for TSL, it is dicey, since most of the effort was little to none(although most around here are well aware of that). For Bloodlines, the patch has been developed for quite some time.

Although the main point might be the bugfixes, something else the UP does is restore things that wasn't implemented in the game, though most of this is in the Plus version. The Blood Heal discipline for instance(uses blood from the bloodpool to restore health), among other things.

[Hassat Hunter]

Originally Posted by Rtas Vadum

As for the patch/restoration efforts, for TSL, it is dicey, since most of the effort was little to none(although most around here are well aware of that).

Say what?

[Rtas Vadum]

Originally Posted by Hassat Hunter

Say what?

Mostly referring to TSLRP, since they might've done tons of work, but has nothing to show for it.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Originally Posted by Q

There was a huge internet drama about the two patches a few years back, where, supposedly, the modders of True patch had stolen files from the Unofficial patch. That's not supposed to be the case, now, but the whole thing left me soured towards the "True" patch to the point that I won't even consider using it.

The Unofficial patch's "basic" option makes the True patch irrelevant, anyway.

Yes, I learned of this whole issue when looking into patches for the game. I did not know about the file-stealing, however.
The True Patch community seems like a rather unsavoury bunch; a quick look on their forum yielded examples of extreme slander against the creator of the Unofficial Patch. I'm not aware of the whole situation, or if the slander was warranted (there wouldn't be many cases where it would be), but it was all rather distasteful.

By then, I had already installed and been using the True Patch and couldn't be bothered uninstalling it and replacing with the Unofficial Patch (which would have likely required me to start a new character as well).

In any case, I care little for the people of the creators of the True Patch or whatever drama they might have been involved with; their product is good, so I'll use it.