Welcome, Kindred, to this Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room.  Tonight, we want to talk to you about our Blood Resonance feature. For those unfamiliar with Vampire: The Masquerade, this is blood that is emotionally charged. A valuable commodity for an experienced elder vampire like Phyre.

Our vision of Phyre as an elder is that they have accrued many clan abilities over their 400 years as a vampire, but the incident that brought them to Seattle has locked away their connection to them. By using resonant blood and drinking the blood of the Clan Contacts you can restore Phyre’s connection to the abilities that aren’t native to your chosen clan. For more on the specific clan abilities, please read our previous Clan Highlights: Brujah, Tremere, Banu Haqim and Ventrue.

- Project Creative Director Alex Skidmore

Determining what Resonance a vessel has makes feeding more than just a pit stop. Most vampires observe their victims from a distance or engage them in conversation to feel them out. -Vampire: the Masquerade 5th edition

Blood Resonance Mechanics

Blood Resonance is an important part of your journey when exploring the city. It feeds (pun intended) into how you tailor Phyre’s abilities to match your vampiric playstyle and fantasy.

When exploring Seattle you can find pedestrians with one of three potential blood resonances: Melancholic (feeling anxious or afraid), Sanguine (feeling aroused/sexual attraction), and Choleric (feeling annoyed or angry). This is something only a vampire can know so you need to use your Heightened Senses to identify these pedestrians. Once found, you need to “turn” these pedestrians fully resonated. This is done through conversations, in which you will attempt to manipulate your victim’s emotions as needed.

With this feature, it was important to us that roleplaying affected the outcomes of these conversations, so the way you act throughout the game determines what conversation options are available. Also, your appearance is an important factor in these conversations, so choose your wardrobe wisely!

If you manage to “turn” the pedestrians, they will become fully resonated and react accordingly. This means they might start a fight with you, run from you in terror, or even find you irresistibly attractive, all of which increases the resonant blood of that type gained from feeding on them.

Whilst these are great ways to gain resonated blood, they aren’t the only way! You can find events happening around the city - highlighted on the map - where NPCs are already fully resonated allowing players to skip the conversation and jump straight into the feeding.

Either way, you are attempting to accrue enough blood of different resonance types to ultimately increase the range of the abilities you can use, and this is where Clan Contacts come into the mix.

Once you are Sheriff of Seattle, Clan Contacts, such as Mrs Thorn (clan Tremere) at Wake The Dead Café, will offer to aid you in restoring your connection to the abilities of their clan by drinking their blood. A pre-requisite is collecting the required amounts of the resonant blood for the ability you wish to “re-learn”. Once collected you can drink the Clan Contact’s blood, adding the ability to the Ability Tree to unlock with Ability Points.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your reactions to the pedestrian conversations and can't wait to see what combinations of abilities you all put together! See you in the dark alleyways of Seattle.

- Lead Game Designer Gavin Hood​

After 15+ years of development, Caves of Qud 1.0 will be released on December 5th 2024! We’re amped up on the juice, near out of our minds, and so ready to let the creature emerge from its cocoon.

Tutorial Leaving Beta for 1.0 + The Last Story Quest
This is the capstone update to the hundreds of updates we’ve put out over the years. 1.0 will include the new tutorial that we’ve been beta-testing, meant to help teach beginners the very basics of the game. And also… the much-anticipated final quest in the main questline, with multiple endings. We’re playing this one extremely close to the vest, but just know we’re pouring our hearts and souls in.

In addition to the tutorial and last quest, 1.0 will have several new music tracks, new sound effects, new items, lots of bugfixes, and other small feature improvements.

To pair with this announcement, we have a Steam Daily Deal going RIGHT NOW for $16.99 USD, the lowest price Caves of Qud will ever be. On October 29th, one week from today, the price increases to $29.99 USD. So if you’ve been on the fence, or you have a friend who you’ve been nudging to dive in, today is the day!

Pets of Harvest Dawn & Dromad Deluxe
Alongside 1.0, we’re also putting out the Dromad Deluxe edition which includes Caves of Qud, the newly enhanced soundtrack, and the Pets of Harvest Dawn DLC pack, with in-game companions for your character. Pets of Harvest Dawn includes pets that were exclusive to Patreon supporters while the game was in early access. The pack will also include one never before seen pet.

Whew… we’re almost there. Thank you to all our water-sibs for supporting us on this journey. As announced previously, we plan to keep working on Caves of Qud after 1.0, and we’ll have more details about those plans in a future update. For now…

Live and drink.​

17 OCTOBER 2024 - Terahard Studios is excited to announce its latest title, Dunebound Tactics, a turn-based tactics roguelite RPG set in a wasteland overtaken by the bonedry desert sand. The Steam page launched today and is ready to welcome some wishlists!

Lead your band of survivors on a hazardous trek across unforgiving sands in search of a new home. Battle ruthless factions, scavenge dwindling resources, and make life-or-death choices to keep your sand-faring ship on the move, even if it requires sacrificing your own crewmates!

"Personally, I'm a huge tactics fanatic. We built our very own tactics engine with RPG elements from the ground up for Dunebound Tactics! I'm excited both for the technical innovations as well as the freedom we gave our game designers to create an amazing experience. The art in this game is the best we've managed so far connecting all the little details to squeeze performance and quality." - Aris Tsevrenis, CEO of Terahard Studios

Dunebound Tactics is currently taking part in the Roguelike Celebration on Steam, and can be found in the Procedural Generation category. The event runs from Thursday 17th of October until the 23rd.

About The Game
Dunebound Tactics will push both your strategic and tactical prowess as you navigate the unforgiving wastes. Lead your crew on a daring voyage in search of a new life, making a perilous exodus across Imperial-controlled territories.

Follow the Elios leylines aboard your fragile sand-crossing ship, embarking on a journey where risk and reward constantly intertwine. Power your ship’s engine by gathering Elios through narrative-driven quests, from the bodies of fallen enemies, and—if desperation calls for it—your own crewmates.

Steady your resolve, take the helm, and never look back.

Key Features

• Each Run a Stepping Stone | Your previous mishaps, crushing defeats or triumphs will contribute to your next run, either in the form of modules, or potentially even survivors, as you find the previous caravan’s wreck.
• Dynamic world generation | Whether in combat or roaming through the sands - battlefields, locations or quests will challenge you in new and unexpected ways, making each run unique.
• Strategic Turn-Based Combat | Manipulate a fully destructible and reshapable terrain to mold the battlefield and seize the advantage.
• Friends | Rescue & recruit lost souls to bolster your numbers, but remember, your caravan has limited seats. With a roster of 15 distinct classes and 16 unique traits that enhance skills, stats, or add abilities, every run offers a fresh experience.
• Fuel | Decide whether to heal your wounded in the infirmary after battle takes its toll, or extract the Elios from their bodies, leaving them mere husks, to fuel your ambitions or power the caravan’s engine.
• Foes | Between the Imperials and the Arcanists, your party must face 40 enemy classes in a desperate fight for a better tomorrow.

Hi Everyone!

Today’s the day: Passageway of the Ancients has now been officially launched. Explore the city of Ithgar to solve your parents’ murder and uncover the truth. It’s a dream come true for us to share the game with you all after all these years.

Let us know what you think in the Steam Community Hub, on Discord, and on Reddit.

– Passageway Games​

Burden of Command
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Cyclopean
Flint: Treasure of Oblivion
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch
Never Second in Rome
New Arc Line
The Adventurers
Those Who Rule
Whispers of the Eyeless​

Sorry for the later update, but I've narrowed down on a release month: January 2025!!

I've been nose to the grindstone on polishing up the demo for the Steam Next Fest that we'll be participating in starting TOMORROW! Really excited to see how it goes, as it's usually a major source of visibility for indies. This one has over 3,000 games participating though so we'll have to wait and see.

We also have a shiny new trailer to announce the new launch month.

Between all the demo updates and trailer creation, I also had time for finishing up chapter 8, focusing on a more tight experience. I have a new process for designing maps that I think is going to be super engaging.

The new demo is also released now, still up to chapter 3, but I've gotten a ton of feedback that I've already incorporated into the game.

For future changes, this next week I'll likely be focusing on doing the best i can in Steam Next Fest. During and after that it's pure chapter creation! At 12 hour days, chapter 8 took me ~4 days (map, new items, characters, events). I'm pulling 6-7 days a week right now so the goal is to have the chapters done by end of November. Leaving December/January for polish/playtesting.

Future

• Chapter, chapters, and more chapters.
• Finish up remaining elite classes.
• Implement interesting items/weapons to enhance gameplay. (I'd love to hear your ability ideas to potentially put in the game!)

Thank you everyone for the continued support. It feels surreal approaching the finish line, but there's still much work to be done, and I'll make sure to keep you all in the loop every step of the way.​

You’re a Patrol Op on a holiday weekend at World’s End Ski Resort, Mount Hope, Antarctica. But things are about to go sideways.

Now you’re stranded at the off-season resort with unforgettable guests, wild parties, and mad secrets. The world of XXX NIGHTSHIFT is your oyster—crack it open with evolved role-playing systems.

Features

• Deep single-player role-playing with seismic choices. Powerful, finely tuned, innovative. It’s yours to decide how your story unfolds—and how it ends. Follow your truths or just slide on the surface of things.
• Volumetric: A fresh role-playing system that respects your time, trusts your intelligence, and plays along with your every choice. Play a true three-dimensional human being. Combine 20 Traces across four categories to shape your character in any way you desire.
• Find a partner in crime investigation or try flying solo. A unique companion dynamic provides you with many paths to solve the crimes. Engage in social climbing, soul digging, man-eating, and more, depending on your choices and luck.
• Maboul Kit: Tune your investigative mind to prepare for interrogations, confrontations, and seductions. Anticipate what’s coming and boost your chances. But mind the side effects—there’s always a price to pay.
• Dopamine Buffet: Rehearse your moves. Dance through crime scenes. Drift through parties. Or find pleasure in completing the simplest chores. Get better with every action you take.
• Marafet Calculator: Use Marafet calculations to alter your time and space. Go deep with insights and discover connections, but make sure you’ll be able to resurface.

Original Science Fiction Setting: The detective RPG XXX NIGHTSHIFT lands you in a luxury resort that shouldn’t exist, with people you shouldn’t know. In the endless polar night, amidst the orgies of politics, power, and poetry, something gruesome lies waiting.

In 2086 CE, things really can’t go much further south than World’s End, Antarctica. Have fun.​

The wait is over. We are finally announcing our Early Access launch date and it’s right around the corner–November 5, 2024!

For the first time, our feature-complete game will be available for you to enjoy, from Act 1 all the way to the end of Act 3. Journey deeper into the forsaken island of Anareios, face increasingly challenging enemies, and take on two more bosses to get closer to uncovering the mystery.

While the full story will be revealed at the Official Release (within next year), all the core gameplay mechanics and systems will be available with the EA launch and expanded during the EA period. Be on the lookout for more info on this as we near November 5th.

Our Early Access price is set at 19.99 USD, but if you’re early to our Early Access, you can enjoy a 20% discount during our launch sale.

Unlike our demos, the Early Access version of Veil of the Witch comes in 10 languages, so more of our players can enjoy the story and the character conversations in their native language.

As we have done with our previous games, we’re committed to working with our fans to polish Veil of the Witch and deliver the best version of the game at Official Release.

So please engage with us right here on Steam or join us on our Discord, and be sure to wishlist and share this news with other turn-based TRPG fans in your life.

Your feedback makes our games better.​

Welcome, Kindred, to this Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room. Tonight’s diary is about hunting and feeding, both in combat scenarios and the more social setting of Seattle. Feeding is at the heart of the game loop and fantasy of being a vampire so if you faint at the sight of blood, read no further.

- Project Creative Director, Alex Skidmore

Feeding is a really important part of the vampire fantasy, and so from a gameplay perspective, we were set on making it a fundamental part of the player’s actions and strategies. You’ll be doing a lot of it - Phyre’s a little-and-often kinda drinker; that helps keep the beast in check- plus it’s your main source of healing, and critical to using your powerful discipline abilities. A lot of incentive for us to make it feel good!

Your main concern will be your surroundings - getting spotted feeding on the streets is a blatant Masquerade violation, and more violent types won’t be content to let you feed on their friends unscathed, so you’ll want to isolate your targets. Feeding in the swing of combat is risky, but not impossible - if you’re mindful of which direction you start a feed from, for example, your victim can help soak up a lot of gunfire for you!

One aspect that was really challenging was presentation, from a first-person perspective. Feeding in first person doesn’t really show you much at best, and looks silly at worst, but a simple cut in and out of third-person can also be disorienting and feels a bit disconnected. What we settled on uses a bit of both, with some basic cinematic action cutting techniques to maintain continuity of motion, and enough first-person action at the end to get you settled into your next move. It’s subtle, but I think it goes a long way in helping the flow of the game in hectic situations!

- Senior Game Designer, Max Bottomley

Blood Resonance Events
Not only is Seattle brought to life with people going about their own business, including NPCs reacting to the player (perhaps even running away in terror!) it’s also a place where the player can hunt!

As you move around the city, you’ll be able to track and hunt NPCs that have the potential to become fully resonated with a specific type of blood to feed on. Track these NPCs down using Heightened Senses and knowledge of the city, then use charm, fear, or anger to convince and bend them to your will.

Very early on we wanted these events to feel like something players would want to go and investigate as they pop up around the city, I like to refer to these events as vampire candy for players to track, follow, and feed on! Social Feeding is a key part of the players' time in our Seattle, and revolves around influencing the NPCs in certain ways - maybe you’ll stumble upon someone angry that the ATM has stolen their card and you can take that anger and feed on it. Maybe someone’s scared after missing the last bus home, and chasing them down a dark alley will tip them into terror and give you the Social Feed you’re craving.

It’s been great working on a system where the NPCs display very raw emotion letting the player really lean into the vampire fantasy allowing them to interact with the denizens of Seattle in a number of different ways. You can use abilities, conversations, or just plain terrify them then reap the rewards with a careful feed.

We wanted to give players the freedom to hunt the way they want but it was also important that players need to be mindful of how and where they feed to avoid breaking the Masquerade! Social Feeding is a slower process so it's best to lure victims to secluded areas.

Explaining to animators that I want an animation of someone cowering like a shocked actor from a 1950s horror movie then watching those animations come to life… Chef’s Kiss!

It's been really great to just sit and think, wouldn’t it be great if Phyre is approached by a mugger and threatened… only to have them turn and flee in fear once they realise what Phyre is! I’m really looking forward to seeing how players choose to tackle the hunt and feed within the city area itself.

- Project Lead Game Designer, Gavin Hood

Don’t miss the next DD where we sink our teeth deeper into the intricacies of Blood Resonance!​

Why Early Access?
MONOMYTH is a vast RPG developed by a single person, featuring numerous complex systems including combat, dialogue, and even small features like playable instruments. In addition to these mechanics, the game has a substantial amount of content.

The goal of Early Access is to receive feedback and ensure that all these systems are interacting correctly. Player testing will help fix subtle design flaws and make sure that the game runs efficiently on a wide range of machines.

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
The game will approximately remain in Early Access for six to twelve months.

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
I plan to introduce three additional major areas during the game's early access phase.

I also plan to improve the combat and AI systems further. The full version is intended to offer a wider selection of spells, weapons, and enemies.

Additional quests are planned as well.

What is the current state of the Early Access version?
Currently, the game features two major areas, a central hub, and several smaller dungeons. All character skills and side features, including blacksmithing and fishing, have been implemented. The game's data includes all spells and weapons. Numerous enemy types, puzzles, and environmental challenges are already in place.

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
There are no plans to increase the price during Early Access. However, after the full release, the price will increase based on the final scope of the game.

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
MONOMYTH was originally funded through Kickstarter. It receives regular project updates and video devlogs, which are also posted on Steam. The game has an active Discord server, and the developer engages regularly with the community on the Steam community hub.​

Why hello there! You’re looking great, have you done something with your hair or just reconfigured your entire face to look like a fish?

If your mods are any indication, the answer is yes and then some. It’s not even a month since Patch 7 dropped on PC - complete with our official modding toolkit - and already you’ve uploaded over 1,000 mods and racked up more than 15 million downloads!

We’ve watched as you’ve customised your dice with flames and iridescent pearl, lightened the load of gold in your packs, and adjusted your party limit from 4 to 16 - because who needs personal space anyway?

And now, those of you on console and Mac can finally join in, with Patch 7 rolling out to these platforms starting today. Keep reading to learn how to kick off your modded run, plus check out some of the most popular mods ready for you to explore.

Today’s update also brings Hotfix #26 and Hotfix #27 to all platforms - if you want to check out the patch notes in full, point your eyes in this direction. But far from being our last patch, you can still expect to see crossplay and a photo mode for Baldur’s Gate 3 in the future.

Playing With Baldur’s Gate 3 Mods

If you’re thinking about starting a modded run and want to know what you’re getting into, whether you’re playing on console, Mac, or PC, then this is the guide for you!

Where do I even start?

So you want to enhance your journey to Baldur’s Gate with a little community-made magic?

While the Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit used to create mods is only available on PC, a whole selection of player-created mods are now available on console and Mac!

How are mods chosen for release on other platforms?

Only mods made with and uploaded using the Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit and which pass internal testing can be eligible for release on the console and Mac in-game mod browser.

Technical limitations on certain platforms mean that some PC mods will not be available for Mac or console. Our team will need to test all mods requested to be brought to these platforms to confirm whether they can be made available.

Mod Authors can let us know if they’d like to see their mod available on console and Mac during the upload process. Our Community Team will then check whether the mod adheres to our modding guidelines, before sending over batches of mods to undergo internal checks that look at the mod’s basic functionality, usability, and stability.

If all looks good, the mods will then be made available on these platforms!

Will more mods be made available on console and Mac?

Yes! There are currently, uh, 69 mods that have passed internal testing, and we’ll be adding more as we go. Making mods available on platforms other than PC will be a continuously reviewed process that may change to include additional functionality in the future. Mods ready for both Mac and console that have passed testing will be released in batches, so keep an eye out on your in-game mod browser to see when new mods are added.​

Why Early Access?
We are releasing Banquet for Fools through early access to gather your thoughts and feedback while we progress toward a full launch.

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
We expect Banquet for Fools to be in Early Access for around 8-10 months.

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
We expect to improve the following areas as we progress toward the full launch:

- Additional maps beyond the existing 1.0 maps
- More pagan spells
- More songs
- More armor and weapon variations
- Continued content for the main quest line
- Additional NPC models and enemy models
- Additional bug fixes and polish

What is the current state of the Early Access version?
Character creation and all the skills uses have been implemented and are playable, as well as content for the early maps of the game. There are several quests and conversations to interact with in these maps, as well as skill checks, unique items, party-based combat and opportunities for level advancement. The ruleset and UX are still undergoing updates with feedback, and continued testing is needed to keep progressing the game toward a more finished state.

There are 5 playable races, over 100 inventory items with custom art and 3d models, and over a dozen unique enemies to engage as well as a community of NPCs to talk to.

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
We may explore a change in pricing during and after Early Access.

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
We are hoping for community input on systems, the ruleset and general thoughts on quests and wilderness exploration. We are hoping to engage with players on DIscord to discuss their opinions and report any feedback they have about the game.​

Scourge of the Reptiles is a party-based tactical RPG set in a low fantasy prehistoric world. When a devastating meteor strikes the Earth, humans, elves and dinosaurs alike are gifted with magical abilities.

As the hero is able to control and ride the giant beasts, they venture forth with a party to discover that the world is much bigger than they initially thought. There are those sitting on neighbouring thrones who wish to enact war, plotting to bring forth chaos and destruction.

But dinosaurs are not to be taken lightly.

With the dinosaurs turning against their masters, the party must build a rebellion in the wilderness, return stronger and discover the cause of this sudden defiance.

Tactical Combat
Scourge of the Reptiles features a deep combat system that harkens back to classic tactics roleplaying. You’ll fight against and alongside mighty reptiles, as well as fierce undead and human civilisations.

Positioning and strategic thinking are the keys to victory. Command a party of warriors, sorcerers, and their dinosaur companions to tackle all manner of enemies that come your way, be they humanoid or reptilian.

Land of Dinosaurs
In the world of Odion, dinosaurs roam lands similar to those of other animal species, but they have never been used by others as weapons. Until now.

A dark magical force is at play, one that aims to bring destruction and chaos through the possession of dinosaurs. An army of dinosaurs is growing, and someone is behind it all.

Features

• Turn-based tactics combat
• 40 hours of gameplay across 3 acts
• 19 species of dinosaurs
• 100+ skills and combat moves

We are finally ready to announce that the new era of Glorious Companions is coming to Steam this December! For the last few months, we have been really focused and dedicated to refresh the game and rework a lot of things.

From the 30th of September to the 7th of October, we will be attending Steam Turn-Based RPG Fest and it’s a great opportunity to try out the demo of Glorious Companions! It will not only be free, but it will also present all the changes we’ve made throughout the recent period of time. During this time you can also grab the game 50% cheaper and it will be the only occasion to do that before the december’s re-launch.

Let's focus a little bit more on what you may expect in the refreshed version of Glorious Companions!

Prologue storyline with cutscenes (and voice over!), dialogues, story quests and more. After this prologue (available in the demo as well!) the game allows for more free exploration with some main quests/goals included.

Whole new handcrafted world map. With new places to visit, explore and challenge.

Improved unit control in battle - long gone are the days when you had to change actions to attack enemy or had to rotate to move backwards. Movement and attacking is now omnidirectional and contextual - just hover mouse over the enemy to attack or on the ground to move.
Despite these changes, units facing still plays a big role in combat - attacks of opportunity are made only in front of the character and backstabbing enemies gives multiple bonuses.

We added journal for easier bookkeeping of active and finished quests. There is also a tab with all tutorials that player already encountered.

Visual and mechanical upgrade to neutral enemies. Animals even got array of new skills and passives to provide You with better challenges.

A lot of new points of interests with various interactions - some of them will even provide unique quests or challenges.

Above all, we prepared over 60 new battle maps - there are custom maps for story battles, for new dungeons and each biome on the map got their own unique maps in various sizes!
Challenging dungeon battles with new enemy types with their own weapons and unique abilities. These battles will take you through series of encounters one after another - better prepare for it!

We made some changes to the equipment as well. It now comes with various tiers that modify their stats and bunch of enchantments with secondary effects (burn, poison etc). There might be even some more new mechanics for them - stay tuned!
​

Pathbreakers: Roaming Blades is a turn-based tactical RPG in which you lead a company of mercenaries through the harsh lands of the Stormtossed Isle. Select one of many origin stories, or create your own, and make your mark through the world. Hire your crew, train, and outfit them. How will your company operate? Will you favor the traditional mercenary life, grab contracts and slowly build up your reputation? Will you instead focus on the lucrative trading opportunities to be found on the Isle? Or perhaps you'll don the mantle of a consummate explorer, discover and chart the numerous dungeons and secrets throughout. Then again, why not a mix of it all? One thing is for certain, though: it'll be a dangerous and bloody journey, and you'd better prepare your company for it, and prepare well.

The world of Pathbreakers: Roaming Blades consists of a procedurally generated world map, teeming with enemies, dungeons, towns and secrets to discover. Assemble your company and roam the lands, looking for opportunities, fortune, and bloody combat. Maintaining a mercenary company isn't cheap, so you'll have to earn some coin on the way. Contracts, trading, looting, discovering and pilfering will all serve you well on that front. Battles are a big part of the gameplay and take place on a tactical hex grid, in turn-based mode. Deploy up to 6 units, each with their own class and skill tree, and engage a variety of enemies intent on seeing your crew lie face down in the dirt. Dungeon exploration is another major component in Pathbreakers. Select a small elite force from your crew and delve into a dungeon. Once inside, you'll face traps, hidden paths, vicious enemies and your ever dwindling oil reserves, as you explore the darkness, hoping for treasures and renown.

Features

• Build your own Company
  Assemble and customize your roster from a selection of 8 classes, each branching to 2 different advanced classes and with their own skill tree. Mercenaries start with background traits and can learn new ones, adding an extra layer of customization.
• Multiple Company paths
  Your company can amass reputation on 3 different fronts: Mercenary, Trader and Explorer. A high reputation grants new opportunities tied to its field. More contracts, trading options, and special commissions become available to those who have proven themselves.
• Never quite the same
  The campaign's open world, dungeons, and most battle maps are procedurally generated, making each new game a different experience. Nothing is ever quite the same and it will keep you on your toes.
• Multiple origin stories
  Select one of many origin stories, or create your own. Each origin character has their own custom plot and story events, with different strengths and weaknesses and different goals and objectives.
• Interesting enemies and tough encounters
  The game features a large cast of enemies, ranging from opposing mercenaries to a multitude of unique monstrous creatures. Enemies have access to their own classes and abilities and understanding them will be a key difference between victory and a shallow grave.
• Dynamic events
  Contracts and story events have multiple resolutions and branching outcomes, never being quite the same from playthrough to playthrough. You'll face some hard choices that will influence how your company is perceived.
• Modding
  Pathbreakers has been designed to be modder friendly. The game features Workshop support, a map editor, a spell editor, and data files relying on easy-to-edit-and-understand json files, which facilitates adding classes, skills, and new languages.

Welcome Kindred to another Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room.

In this diary, we want to give you some further insight into the choices we’ve made when building our version of Seattle (see Dev Diary 8 for my previous statements on building Seattle for The World of Darkness). Seattle is at the heart of the game, which you will return to again and again between quests or sometimes during them. It is the most human location in the game where you are vulnerable to being exposed as a vampire (aka breaching The Masquerade) resulting in swift and violent justice from the vampires of the Camarilla that rule the city. It is also a kind of vampire playground where you can feed on humans in order to restore your vampiric powers or just for the thrill of the hunt. We hope this diary gives you a taste of what you will experience when stalking the streets and rooftops of the Emerald City.

- Project Creative Director Alex Skidmore

Building the player’s movement through Seattle, we really wanted to create traversal that interacted with The Masquerade and reinforced the vampiric experience. Phyre has some absurd movement from the get-go, being able to immensely fast, dash and glide through the air, and can move faster while still using discipline abilities later- but of course, do any of this on the streets without obfuscation and you’ll quickly find yourself breaching the masquerade.

Dark alleyways don’t just give you a quieter place to feed on prey, they also provide routes up to Seattle’s rooftops- up here there’s fewer prying eyes, so you can really let your capabilities loose, moving fast and leaping between buildings. The local Anarchs won’t be thrilled about you moving through their rooftop turf though, so it’s a dangerous place for the weak or uninitiated.

This means, there’s a choice to be made at any point between danger to the masquerade and danger to yourself! Finding yourself drawn to the kinds of places vampires would lurk is the goal of this arrangement. As you regain your powers as an elder, you’ll also be more capable of moving as you please- I’m really looking forward to seeing people master it!

- Senior Game Designer Max Bottomley

Since joining the Bloodlines 2 team, a key responsibility I’ve undertaken is bringing life to a key area of the game – our Seattle. 

Working closely with the Environment team, I wanted to make sure that as players explore the world it feels both alive and reactive to what they are doing. Players will discover a wide variety of people going about their daily (or nightly!) lives. We’ve crafted a personality for the city that compliments its unique setting, mood and layout. Time has been taken to map out city districts that favour different types of NPCs – you’ll be able to sit back and watch the world move on around you.

When you walk round a corner you never know what you’ll find; maybe it’s a businessman arguing on his phone, or a graffiti artist improving the local artwork, it could be a car thief struggling to break into a car, or even a sex worker making good on their promise with a client.

We’ve been filling the world with characters that actually do things; taking breaks on seats, telling the police about crimes they’ve seen, or seeing the police chasing down a criminal. The world turns without you, it should feel like you’re just passing through – and as the player, you can interact or just sit back and watch!

Working on this stuff and building out a believable world where bikers drink outside bars or start fights with you has been a hell of a lot of work, but I hope people will find it a fun place to explore.

The city isn’t all combat, it’s also home to exploration and interactions with the inhabitants of Seattle.

As with many other areas of the game a large part of what we wanted to give players was choice; some of that choice comes down to what conversations you’ll have with some of the NPCs and characters you’ll meet in the city. Use your Vampiric charms to seduce someone, proposition a sex worker, or flip off some angry bikers with a Brujah-approved hand gesture.

The first time you try to flirt with a Sex Worker in the game and get turned down because your choice of clothing didn’t impress them will be an eye-opener!

- Lead Game Designer Gavin Hood​