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

[Ibn Sina]

Good riddance. I hope it collapses on itself and never comes out.

 

[CyberModuled]

Honestly, the game's hit the point where I'm probably getting more amusement from the potential of Paradox as a publisher bleeding out money on this project than I will ever have with the game itself. Still though, hope it comes out if only so the game is laughed out of the room by the public when it's what Paradox considers their "debut AAA game" for what looks and will probably play AA at best.

 

[Dodo1610]

The game got delayed indefinitely for the second time
Next logical step would be to reboot development or change the developer for this to become proper Vapourware.
Still hope this comes out at some point.

 

[Wunderbar]

Next logical step would be to reboot development or change the developer for this to become proper Vapourware.

They should change graphic style, and then rename the game.

 

[Cael]

Next logical step would be to reboot development or change the developer for this to become proper Vapourware.

They should change graphic style, and then rename the game.

VtM: Redemption2

 

[Wunderbar]

turns out Avellone have did a tad bit more work than mere "consulting", and now they are scrambling to rewrite his contributions...

 

[True Ukrainian]

All thin blooded are non gender conforming. Sex change is a level 1 thin blood alchemy discipline.

Figures, given the V5 rule setting this waste of pixels is built upon.

>old, white males Elder Kindred are drawn to the Middle East/wherever and are systemically wiped out and devoured
>previously very rare, "kept in the closet", oddities like trannies Thinbloods suddenly explode in numbers
>said oddities go from being pushed around by everyone and their grandmas to having access to powers previously reserved for only the eldest and most powerful of Kindred with literally nary a fucking reason or explanation, just because the tranny writer said so



Stunning and brave indeed.

It gets far, far more stupid than that.

Thin bloods can learn one discipline of their choice like a regular vampire. Sounds fair right, because of their weak blood, their load out is reduced.

But then we get into the resonance system, which is set up to benefit thin bloods.

All blood had a resonance, and each discipline is tied to one of the four resonances. Whenever a thin blood feeds, he gains a second discipline at level one, matching the resonance of the blood consumed.

So thin bloods are weak but versatile right? Game balance at work. Wrong.

Thin bloods can also mimic any discipline at one level lower than their skill at alchemy. So thin bloods can have a level four discipline they can change at any time, a level one discipline that can be swapped out with a little work and a regular level five discipline.

Meaning they are not much weaker than a high generation vampire. And they can freely switch two of their disciplines to hard counter their opponents.

The whole set up is for full blooded vampires to be raped by the thin bloods. Nothing else.

 

[DalekFlay]

If I was them I would honestly have delayed it just to get out of Cyberpunk's way, even if it was ready to go. How "immersive sim and RPG" Cyberpunk will be is up in the air, but they're catering to similar enough audiences.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

If I was them I would honestly have delayed it just to get out of Cyberpunk's way, even if it was ready to go. How "immersive sim and RPG" Cyberpunk will be is up in the air, but they're catering to similar enough audiences.

maybe they really want to fail (like, after realising what abomination they are creating) but need the scapegoat to blame for this?

 

[Ol' Willy]

If I was them I would honestly have delayed it just to get out of Cyberpunk's way, even if it was ready to go.

Thankfully, first Bloodlines wasn't released alongside some other, more popular game. Right?!

 

[Longes]

All thin blooded are non gender conforming. Sex change is a level 1 thin blood alchemy discipline.

Figures, given the V5 rule setting this waste of pixels is built upon.

>old, white males Elder Kindred are drawn to the Middle East/wherever and are systemically wiped out and devoured
>previously very rare, "kept in the closet", oddities like trannies Thinbloods suddenly explode in numbers
>said oddities go from being pushed around by everyone and their grandmas to having access to powers previously reserved for only the eldest and most powerful of Kindred with literally nary a fucking reason or explanation, just because the tranny writer said so



Stunning and brave indeed.

It gets far, far more stupid than that.

Thin bloods can learn one discipline of their choice like a regular vampire. Sounds fair right, because of their weak blood, their load out is reduced.

But then we get into the resonance system, which is set up to benefit thin bloods.

All blood had a resonance, and each discipline is tied to one of the four resonances. Whenever a thin blood feeds, he gains a second discipline at level one, matching the resonance of the blood consumed.

So thin bloods are weak but versatile right? Game balance at work. Wrong.

Thin bloods can also mimic any discipline at one level lower than their skill at alchemy. So thin bloods can have a level four discipline they can change at any time, a level one discipline that can be swapped out with a little work and a regular level five discipline.

Meaning they are not much weaker than a high generation vampire. And they can freely switch two of their disciplines to hard counter their opponents.

The whole set up is for full blooded vampires to be raped by the thin bloods. Nothing else.

That's a load of bollocks my dude. Thin-bloods suck ass.
>Thin bloods can learn one discipline of their choice like a regular vampire.
Nope. One of the three merits thin-bloods can buy is the ability to buy a single discipline out of clan.

>Thin bloods can also mimic any discipline at one level lower than their skill at alchemy. So thin bloods can have a level four discipline they can change at any time
Technically true, but a load of shit. Each discipline power you mimick is bought as a separate recipe. Meaning to mimic a level 4 discipline you first need to buy Thin-Blood Alchemy 5, then you need to buy a recipe (takes a minimum of three in-game years), then you need to cook that recipe (takes a month of in-game time). At which point you have a single use of a single level 4 discipline.

> and a regular level five discipline
Bought at out-of-clan xp costs.

All in all, "a thin-blood with all powers" is like a level 20 wizard. You'll never play a game that lasts long enough for you to be one.

 

[Raghar]

Funnily Troika managed to actually release Vampires the Bloodlines, in somehow playable and decently enjoyable state. I wonder how polished it would be when they would get 6 months delay.

 

[LESS T_T]

A bit strange interview with some developers that were not interviewed before and/or has been promoted since: https://www.usgamer.net/articles/bloodlines-2-july-interview-next-gen-seattle

Makes me wonder if there was a shake up at the leads level.

I was expecting a delay but that part about "other organizational changes that will help us achieve this goal" is interesting.

Looks like indeed there was a big shake-up. Director Martin Ka'ai Cluney left Hardsuit as of July: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkcluney

 

[True Ukrainian]

All thin blooded are non gender conforming. Sex change is a level 1 thin blood alchemy discipline.

Figures, given the V5 rule setting this waste of pixels is built upon.

>old, white males Elder Kindred are drawn to the Middle East/wherever and are systemically wiped out and devoured
>previously very rare, "kept in the closet", oddities like trannies Thinbloods suddenly explode in numbers
>said oddities go from being pushed around by everyone and their grandmas to having access to powers previously reserved for only the eldest and most powerful of Kindred with literally nary a fucking reason or explanation, just because the tranny writer said so



Stunning and brave indeed.

It gets far, far more stupid than that.

Thin bloods can learn one discipline of their choice like a regular vampire. Sounds fair right, because of their weak blood, their load out is reduced.

But then we get into the resonance system, which is set up to benefit thin bloods.

All blood had a resonance, and each discipline is tied to one of the four resonances. Whenever a thin blood feeds, he gains a second discipline at level one, matching the resonance of the blood consumed.

So thin bloods are weak but versatile right? Game balance at work. Wrong.

Thin bloods can also mimic any discipline at one level lower than their skill at alchemy. So thin bloods can have a level four discipline they can change at any time, a level one discipline that can be swapped out with a little work and a regular level five discipline.

Meaning they are not much weaker than a high generation vampire. And they can freely switch two of their disciplines to hard counter their opponents.

The whole set up is for full blooded vampires to be raped by the thin bloods. Nothing else.

That's a load of bollocks my dude. Thin-bloods suck ass.
>Thin bloods can learn one discipline of their choice like a regular vampire.
Nope. One of the three merits thin-bloods can buy is the ability to buy a single discipline out of clan.

>Thin bloods can also mimic any discipline at one level lower than their skill at alchemy. So thin bloods can have a level four discipline they can change at any time
Technically true, but a load of shit. Each discipline power you mimick is bought as a separate recipe. Meaning to mimic a level 4 discipline you first need to buy Thin-Blood Alchemy 5, then you need to buy a recipe (takes a minimum of three in-game years), then you need to cook that recipe (takes a month of in-game time). At which point you have a single use of a single level 4 discipline.

> and a regular level five discipline
Bought at out-of-clan xp costs.

All in all, "a thin-blood with all powers" is like a level 20 wizard. You'll never play a game that lasts long enough for you to be one.

Herds give a thin blood ready access to varied disciplines through feeding. And I think ananthor corporis reduces the distillation time of mimic recipes substantially.

Day drinker allows a thin blood to avoid and manipulate hunters. Sex change makes it much easier to make yourself scarce if things go pear shaped.

All these are fairly substantial advantages thin bloods have over normal vampires.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

I wonder how Corona would impact vampires. Everyone sitting home, with polluted bat blood...

 

[Sweeper]

Clearly the Hardsuit Labs of 2019 was not really up to the task of making this game. Turns out it takes a lot of institutional knowledge to produce this sort of RPG. People make fun of Obsidian but what they do isn't easy (and it took them years to figure it out).

I see Sawyer is wisely spending some of that promotion money.

 

[hivemind]

just make the game bro

like what couldb e hard lmaoooo

 

[Bester]

While Hardsuit Labs are absolute trash, it's not because they pushed the date. Larian was supposed to ship BG3 on Early Access half a year ago. It just wasn't a date that they publicly announced. If they had, it'd be 2 times in a row they pushed it now.

 

[mk0]

They should port this thing to the Nintendo Switch, that's where their main target audience is located and they will have an excuse for why the game looks like ass, less competition too. That's how you salvage this dumpster fire.

 

[waken]

They should port this thing to the Nintendo Switch, that's where their main target audience is located and they will have an excuse for why the game looks like ass, less competition too. That's how you salvage this dumpster fire.

Is blood vegan though?

 

[True Ukrainian]

I wonder how Corona would impact vampires. Everyone sitting home, with polluted bat blood...

Amusingly enough, this scenario would kill off most of the elder vampires. Vampires with high blood potency can't slake their hunger with animal blood at all. So the elder vampires would starve to death while the thin bloods would be largely unaffected.

 

[Storyfag]

I wonder how Corona would impact vampires. Everyone sitting home, with polluted bat blood...

Amusingly enough, this scenario would kill off most of the elder vampires. Vampires with high blood potency can't slake their hunger with animal blood at all. So the elder vampires would starve to death while the thin bloods would be largely unaffected.

Eh, elder vampires would just feed on the younger ones. For the really old ones that's actually the only option - human blood does not slake their thirst any more.

 

[Latelistener]

A bit strange interview with some developers that were not interviewed before and/or has been promoted since: https://www.usgamer.net/articles/bloodlines-2-july-interview-next-gen-seattle

Makes me wonder if there was a shake up at the leads level.

I was expecting a delay but that part about "other organizational changes that will help us achieve this goal" is interesting.

Looks like indeed there was a big shake-up. Director Martin Ka'ai Cluney left Hardsuit as of July: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkcluney

Perhaps hiring Hardsuit Labs for this kind of a game wasn't such a great idea after all. I'm not sure why they thought it was. The game looked like dogshit last year and now it's a money sink for Paradox.

Also, isn't this Martin Ka'ai Cluney guy a friend of Mitsoda from Obsidian? I think he's the one who proposed the project and brought Mitsoda on board.

 

[True Ukrainian]

Cluney seems to be the one with RPG experience, having worked at obsidian before. I don't think Hardsuit itself has any institutional knowledge of making RPGs. If he left, it might mean the project has run aground.

 

[Bester]

What's institutional knowledge you're all talking about?