World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs

[Infinitron]

Wasn't that meant to be a veiled threat? "Perhaps I shall find you again one of these nights" and kill you.

 

[Xeon]

She says she'll give you better offers in future jobs if you don't press her for more, no? maybe if you make her pay now you get less later or she backstabs you or something?

 

[Goral]

Wasn't that meant to be a veiled threat? "Perhaps I shall find you again one of these nights" and kill you.

I've considered it but that's clearly not the case. Why would she veil anything, if she's more powerful there's no reason to hide your intentions or lie. And if she did indeed plan to kill us next time why let us go in the first place when she could do it right there right now? And killing us just for trying to get a better deal seems excessive, that's to be expected that someone might renegotiate, I would think that she would make things clear before going violent. Why discard a pawn so soon when he's not totally useless and can deliver?

Either way it's just bad writing and this whole scene looks hilarious. You really need to look for excuses to make this look not dumb.

 

[Roguey]

I'd say Jeannette and VV are more seductive than this green-haired chick, if that's who they are trying to emulate with her. Not only are their voices more erotic, the camera is closer to their faces, making for a more intimate conversation. The green-haired chick is stand-offish by comparison. VV could get me to do anything for her, this chick can't even convince me to take out the trash.

Pignose isn't here for your pleasure.

 

[Nines_Anarch]

I'd say Jeannette and VV are more seductive than this green-haired chick, if that's who they are trying to emulate with her. Not only are their voices more erotic, the camera is closer to their faces, making for a more intimate conversation. The green-haired chick is stand-offish by comparison. VV could get me to do anything for her, this chick can't even convince me to take out the trash.

Agree

That's because VV and Jeanette did set the standards too high.

There is no way they could reach this level even though this game is 15 years old still has got the most seductive NPCs I've ever seen in a videogame. No other game (even adult / xxx rated games) has managed to replicate this after all these years...
In fact, VV is more seductive than 99,99% human beings I've met. On the other side, Elif looks more "realistic" on how human beings interact in real world. But again, this is a videogame and those are supposed to be vampires so they should not go for a realistic approach. These NPCs should be there to manipulate you... to persuade you. In Bloodlines 2 it seems they are not even trying which is disappointing.

 

[Reader]

she can't even prevent from being spat in the face? When we don't deliver she only gives a warning and when we ask for more money she just does it without question

I guess it's because in the World of Niceness you shouldn't be mean.
Also i wonder if i'll choose to play as homosexual, will any npc call me faggot?..

 

[Alexios]

Why did they lecture us on how feeding in Bloodlines resembled sexual assault but then went and made feeding in Bloodlines 2 as graphic and over-the-top as possible?

 

[Lacrymas]

Pignose isn't here for your pleasure.

Then why would I be there for hers?

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

When we don't deliver she only gives a warning and when we ask for more money she just does it without question :D :D :D.

It's even better. When she gave the quest she hasn't specified how much money she will give us. Arguing about more money is meaningless here, because she can just give us scraps claiming that originally she was planning on giving us even less scraps.

That dialogue is both expository and lacks information

 

[Goral]

Agree, although it's still salvageable because we might have gotten info about the reward in mail for example but in the dialogue in question we see the full context and it is just poorly written period.

Anyway, other than dialogues I also question the fact that we're lowest of the low. In Bloodlines we've learned that thinbloods are barely vampires, weak as grandmas and the most boring creatures we could play in such setting, and yet they decided to use them as protagonists. WTF? If they wanted to make a proper sequel they should have done a step up, not step down IMO. Themes like being an underdog or some other strange ideas should have been used once the cool ideas have been used and not before that. If anything I would like to see what's it like to play a more powerful vampire rather than another from zero to hero scenario.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Agree, although it's still salvageable because we might have gotten info about the reward in mail for example but in the dialogue in question we see the full context and it is just poorly written period.

The same way we could say that the fact that we don't know what information we are fetching is salvageable, because this information could be used in future quests.

If designers were good it would be possible to read the pendrife we got from Slugg to learn the information and then use it for our own means. But I doubt we will get that.

 

[Roguey]

It's even better. When she gave the quest she hasn't specified how much money she will give us. Arguing about more money is meaningless here, because she can just give us scraps claiming that originally she was planning on giving us even less scraps.

That dialogue is both expository and lacks information

As they found out in original Fallouts, getting really detailed about specifics in voice over is a mistake because things get rewritten. They can't say "I'll give you x amount of dollars" because for ~balance~ reasons later that may change.

 

[hivemind]

I didn't watch the video since I don't wanna get spoiled but I am sure you guys are overreacting like you always do

 

[Xeon]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

 

[hivemind]

thin bloods are the focus of the post "gehenna" metaplot

 

[Infinitron]

As somebody mentioned, it's also not clear that at this point in the game the player character is still a thin-blood.

 

[Sailor Woedica]

I didn't watch the video since I don't wanna get spoiled but I am sure you guys are overreacting like you always do

No getting worked into an incel frenzy at the sight of a septum piercing is just normal nosferatu stuff

 

[Goral]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

Over 2 years ago I've thrown an idea for a sequel but I was in minority: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.p...rked-by-white-wolf.108637/page-2#post-4521600

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Bloodlines is one of those rare storyfag games that (like PST or MotB) has no room for a direct sequel. Not only would it inevitably shit on one aspect or another of it's predecessor, but there's simply nothing of value that it could add. (...)

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Bloodlines is one of those many storfag games that (like PST or MotB) has no room for sequel. Not only because they are shit across the board, but there's simply nothing of value these games add. (...)

Maybe not a direct sequel but a game set in same universe with similar gameplay but different story and characters.

I for one would love to play as Beckett, or Jack, or VV, or Bertram or Strauss... That way we wouldn't start from zero to hero again (i.e. from a fledgling to a killing machine stronger than 200 year old vampires) and we would already have a background that would be easier to swallow. New content if done right could be better but using established characters would be easier and definitely interesting. And it's one of many possible ways to use the plot and characters from Bloodlines (mainly characters).

And I would love to see officer Chunk again, he's what's Miltiades is to Age of Decadence ;P.

But I stand by what I've said then, seems to me way more interesting than starting as thinblood (of course it all depends on the execution, a great idea can turn to shit and a shitty idea can turn out interesting).

 

[hilfazer]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

It's not like the game needs to make player a kickass being that can kill werewolves and shite.

It can as well make player roleplay something weak...



... that will eventually become a kickass being that can kill werewolves and shite.

 

[fantadomat]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

Modern politics.

 

[Roguey]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

Modern politics.

More like modern game design with their baby-proofed tutorials. Having to read a bunch of stuff about clans and crap and distribute points into attributes before you even started playing? Antiquated. The new way of doing things is to drop you in immediately and introduce new concepts gradually.

 

[fantadomat]

I kinda agree with Goral, was there a reason we are playing a Thin Blood? I thought Thin Bloods would be a lot weaker than the pure vampires.

Modern politics.

More like modern game design with their baby-proofed tutorials. Having to read a bunch of stuff about clans and crap and distribute points into attributes before you even started playing? Antiquated. The new way of doing things is to drop you in immediately and introduce new concepts gradually.

Ok,most likely both then.

 

[Wesp5]

Geez. I didn't see this part of the UI before, is this old?

Everything you can interact with is covered up by a huge PAY ATTENTION TO THIS DOT? Why have graphics at all if I can only look at the stuff I can't interact with? God I hope we can turn this crap off.

It might be the hightened senses modus which the players uses in some videos to find vents to go through, but I also thought that this might be sneaking. Like there was an NPC at the start of that sequence and he completely ignored the player! Also in this video I'm pretty sure I saw a car down the road in the distance driving by...

 

[Wesp5]

Is this the same demo journos and presumably Wesp5 saw previously after games announcement or a completely new one?

No, what I and the press saw was the beginning of the game itself and I really wonder why Paradox haven't released that to the public yet. The press has spoiled it anyway...

 

[typical user]

Jeanette and VV are seductive because of their appearence. Elif is more toned-down and casual. But then remember the pre-alpha watermark. In gameplay the protagonist fought regular women with kalashikovs in a drug-den/hobo hideout which makes me believe they were placeholders. Just play the video and listen to their combat grunts. I think Elif might be changed. I noticed how she was casually talking to us with mortals around on the rooftop.

The Thin-Bloods are indeed OP with their unique disciplines. In PnP if you played 14th-15th gen you would have severly limited bloodpool, additional derangements/flaws but in return you had more points to spend on your attributes, disciplines and abilites. In Bloodlines 2 they get no downsides. I hope the gameplay showed high-level character and the story will offer you a chance for diablerie after a story-related Bloodhunt because otherwise well why bother with other clans if they are not in the focus.