Revisiting VtM: Bloodlines

[Latelistener]

It's probably possible to improve gameplay and other weak parts of the game, but first someone need to port to Source/Source 2.
It's a shit ton of work, and there are not enough skilled individuals interested in it.

 

[pippin]

Looking back, while Malkavian surely seems unique, I don't now if it really lives to the hype. Yeah, there's some funny interactions and whatnot, but you'll stay within the same path offered to you through your previous run, assuming you did another vampire bfore that (my first time was Tremere. I ended up as one by following the questions).

 

[ManjuShri]

I went Malkavian for my first run, and I always recommend it for new guys; people who naysay it generally didn't do it for their first, as it's about as unique an experience as you can get in a videogame.

 

[pippin]

I went Malkavian for my first run, and I always recommend it for new guys; people who naysay it generally didn't do it for their first, as it's about as unique an experience as you can get in a videogame.

That's what I meant. If it's not your first, you kinda know they are spoiling the game for you.
Sadly, Bloodlines is a linear effort, so anything "new" is mostly based on style choices and whatnot, not really on gameplay or branching paths.

 

[laclongquan]

There are two kinds of players: Virgin Malk and the others.

A Virgin Malk experience the unique Bloodlines sensation none else can.

 

[ShadowSpectre]

I played Bloodlines about 3 times through. My first was with a Tremere (via questionnaire=clan result in the beginning) when the game first launched. Had fun, used a lot of blood strike. I definitely missed a lot of things, so there is a lot of replayability with the game. I still love:

Spoiler

flipping everyone off at the end

in the independent ending. Played a second time as Malkavian (have to do it at least once) with an unofficial patch at some mid-stage a number of years later. Sided with the Anarchs and realized:

Spoiler

Nines kills the werewolf, so you get to see the decapitated werewolf head with that ending, but otherwise it is somewhat uneventful.

A lot of differences between virgin Bloodlines and fully patched. Third time I played a Toreador and seduced my way through everything and it was still very entertaining. I think that time I sided with the Kwei-jin and got:

Spoiler

dumped to the bottom of the ocean.

If I played a fourth time, not sure what I would play but the game has a certain charm about it. Also, the Malkavian sisters;

Spoiler

who are actually the same person

are awesome. Some of my favourite bands are also from listening to the club music in Bloodlines and looking up the artists. All around, great game.

Also, mandatory:

 

[vmar]

I can't imagine ever actually uninstalling Bloodlines.

 

[Tick Tock Crocodile]

I've played through with each of the clans at least once; the Nosferatu are my personal favourite. A Malk run is mandatory, though.

 

[Old One]

My first was Nosferatu, based on the quiz questions. It was pretty fun creeping through the sewers, creeping through the streets, trying to stay out of sight all the time.

The thing to remember about Nosferatu is that you can and should talk to everyone, because some of the dialogue is extremely funny.

 

[hello friend]

Questionnaire placed me as Malkavian, but I chickened out and selected Ventrue instead. I regret doing so.

 

[Tick Tock Crocodile]

I wasn't all that fond of Ventrue either. The unique dialogue/interactions for that clan isn't all that great when compared to some of the others (a funny line with Bertram and a little bit extra with LaCroix is as much as I can remember right now). Malks and Nossies both have a ton of extremely entertaining stuff, but even Toreador is worth playing through for Gary's special greetings alone

 

[ArchAngel]

I finished this game 4 times. 3 times soon after release, so soon I got stuck in fight vs hunter and needed to use the console commands :D
Did my first run as Gangrel (as I liked those from Pen and Paper), then did Tremere (focuses on magic and ranged weapons) and then Nosferatu for full stealth playthrough. Although quests were very similar, fights were pretty different with these 3 characters. Ganger tanked and ripped enemies apart. Rushed all enemies and tried to outlive them. Tremere play was about using cover, kiting and smart use of spells. Nosferatu avoided combat as much as possible or only attacked from stealth to get blood.

Later I read that Malkavian is awesome so I installed the game years later, applied some community patches and did a Malkavian playthrough as well. Then went to do Brujah run but found them too similar to Gangrel so I quit fairly early. I think I also tried Toreador but also found them kind of boring and quit earlier into the playthrough.

 

[Don Peste]

Computer Games Strategy Plus 162
https://imgur.com/a/xOqgQ

Spoiler

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Finished grimrock 2 and this was on sale, here we go again

 

[McPlusle]

The first time I played through this, I installed the fan patch but forgot to set my Steam launch options so I played through the entire game unpatched but goddamn was it a blast. I still need to do those Malkavian and Nosferatu runs someday. Such an excellent game and story. I can only imagine how much the patches expand upon that.

 

[laclongquan]

Almost nothing if you choose True Patch.

 

[Sykar]

But I thought Tessera himself forbade people from playing the patch he didn't make?

I cannot recall him ever doing so. Source?

But to lure players in with the monicker "Patch", even if "Unofficial Patch"...

Just to make this clear once again: The Unofficial Patch was started by Dan Upright and not myself.
Dan restored the most powerful firearm of the game, the SWAT rifle, in his first patch version.
Dan gave the lockpick and everything else found in the tutorial for free if you skipped it.
I thought all this was usual for an Unofficial Patch as I never created one before.
I continued in this spirit until the "purists" appeared and stole my patch.
I added the basic patch but it was too late to change the name.
Today it would probably be called a Restoration Project.

A restoration patch would leave the original game untouched except for bug fixes. Your "patch" while a commendable piece of work modifies quite a lot of things and even though Tessera is an annoying narcissistic douchebag he was right when he said that your "patch" is not a patch but a mod, even back then when the modifications were less extensive.

Shit-stirrers will stir shit on the fishbowl. Don't even care. laclongquan and his bizarre habit of misleading stupid people to use the 'True' (pervert) patch can fuck off. Maybe he's one of those people that tried to pay when that guy tried to sell 'his' fanpatch.

There is nothing pervert about the patch itself and it works quite well.

 

[Delterius]

I cannot recall him ever doing so. Source?

It happened every odd month when Tessera would quit the internet forever, newfag.

 

[Sykar]

I cannot recall him ever doing so. Source?

It happened every odd month when Tessera would quit the internet forever, newfag.

Where, dipshit? On the codex?

 

[Delterius]

I cannot recall him ever doing so. Source?

It happened every odd month when Tessera would quit the internet forever, newfag.

Where, dipshit? On the codex?

Oh, I wonder where an attention whore who manages his own forum would quit the internet forever. Hmmmm.

 

[Sykar]

I cannot recall him ever doing so. Source?

It happened every odd month when Tessera would quit the internet forever, newfag.

Where, dipshit? On the codex?

Oh, I wonder where an attention whore who manages his own forum would quit the internet forever. Hmmmm.

Must be really hard to mention this in the first place, dipshit. Must have happened after I left his forum for good.

 

[Background Character]

The first time I played through this, I installed the fan patch but forgot to set my Steam launch options so I played through the entire game unpatched but goddamn was it a blast. I still need to do those Malkavian and Nosferatu runs someday. Such an excellent game and story. I can only imagine how much the patches expand upon that.

You're in for a great ride with the Malkavian but I wish you the best of luck with the Nosferatu

 

[Goral]

Reviews like these, even though funny, always trigger me:

I used to play the first part of the installment and I loved it. So, this time, many years later, I bought the second part. And I'm disappointed.

While the plot, the core ideas and dialogues look interesting, the implementation is quite horrible. Battle mechanics is one of the worst I ever seen: I don't like infinitely spawning cops that just appear out of the air, etc. There are bugs, there are hard-scripted NPC, etc.

One of the most annoying things is that levels a very-very small. Every time you go through the door, enter the room or just go to another end of the map etc the game has to load. And this process is not instant, this wastes a lot of time for me.

So, buy it only if you used to play and want to bring "good old memories" of the past. Otherwise, take something better (like, uhm, witcher?).

 

[Wesp5]

Just finished this for the first time ever, using the Unofficial Patch Plus.

doesn't it move the dino someplace else? Wesp has no class

Yes and no. I restored the whole entrance of the museum that was cut and because you then enter in another way I had to move the dino there to create the same surprise !

 

[Wesp5]

A restoration patch would leave the original game untouched except for bug fixes.

How would this even be possible with the restored content tightly interwoven with the rest of the game and not completely located in one cut location, like maybe in the KOTOR2?