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World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt - VTM battle royale

The_Mask

Just like Yves, I chase tales.
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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
It says the video is private on my screen, Infinitron.
 

Dexter

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It says the video is private on my screen, Infinitron.
He does that thing where he Edits someone's OP and disrespectfully puts all its content behind a Spoiler, even when it contained actually pertinent information, just to replace it with a link to a web page and a (often age-gated) YouTube video, or in this case a not working one.

This is what it's supposed to show:


It's a shitty Multiplayer game and it's still going to end up better than "Bloodlines 2".
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Looks like they transferred the trailer to a new YouTube channel.

 

Luka-boy

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Feeling some deja vu here.
162439-shadowrun-windows-front-cover.jpg
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-10-vampire-masquerade-bloodhunt-battle-royale-preview

It's a shame the new Vampire: The Masquerade battle royale game is so shooty
Fangs for nothing.

So there is a big Vampire: The Masquerade video game coming out this year after all. Except, it's not an RPG like Bloodlines 2, it's a free-to-play battle royale. I know that sounds strange but I've played it, and it's better than I expected. It's a pretty impressive production, actually. It has a studio of around 200 people behind it: a newish Swedish studio called Sharkmob, led by Ubisoft Massive (The Division) veterans. And they've made something dark, handsome and atmospheric. Something entirely in keeping with what you expect from a Vampire: The Masquerade game.

Each type of vampire also has special powers. There are three for each character. The first power usually entails a huge boost to movement, be it from a giant leap, an invisible dash, or a kind of spectral teleport; the middle power is passive, which can be something like a health-regen or a partial-vanish while crouching, but there are more; and the third power is an active ability, which varies from damage to support. There are things like ground-pounds, traps, bats that scan the area, heals, and bullet shields. They're satisfying to use and, because there are only three powers per vampire, plus the scan scan, they're all relatively easy to get to grips with and understand.

There are six characters at the moment, split into three Vampire: The Masquerade clans. There's the Brujah clan, and it's fightery Brute and Vandal characters; there's the Nosferatu clan, and it's sneaky Saboteur and Prowler characters; and there's the Toreador clan, and its magic-like Siren and Muse characters. And there are plans for more later on.

jpg

Civilians in the street below. This screenshot looks a bit staged to me - it's supplied by Sharkmob - but it's not far off the actual experience.


Civilians: I said I'd come back to them. They lurk on the street below and you can, of course, sink your fangs into them and feed on them. Doing so not only replenishes your health, it bestows a game-long upgrade on you. What you get depends on the kind of civilian you drink from. One might offer a 10 percent cooldown reduction on your powers, another might give you a 10 percent boost in melee damage.

You have room for three upgrades but you can unlock more (more 'resonance slots') by either feeding on downed players, in a 'press F to execute' move known as diablerising, or by feeding on special NPCs from the vampire-hunting Entity faction. These look like heavily armoured soldiers and guard fancy loot, and they're hard to take down. It's risk-reward, but if you can unlock all seven possible resonance slots: whew! That's a significant upgrade.

jpg

This is what diablerising other players looks like. That's a Nosferatu Saboteur being held up by a Brujah Brute by the way.


Civilians potentially pose a problem, too. If they see you for too long, or see you do murderous vampire things, they will see you for who you are and break your eponymous Masquerade, which is obviously a bad thing. Bloodhunt realises this by giving you a bloodhunt debuff, which reveals you to all other players for one minute. You do not want that in a game like this.

These vampire ideas - this vampire layer - goes a long way to making Bloodhunt feel different to other battle royales. The movement is particularly fun. When you couple it with the tighter layout of the city, and the height of it, and your ability to run along either the streets or the rooftops (and anything in between), it provides you with many ways to close the gap on faraway enemies. This does a lot to stop people camping and sniping.

Despite this, Bloodhunt still seems to be a predominantly shooty game. There are some melee weapons, but there are far more guns, and in every encounter I was a part of, it was guns being used. Guns blindsiding me from another rooftop, or from many rooftops around me, and me being downed in seconds, my health disappearing in numbers out of my head. You can get a team respawn, but you need a team-mate to escape and activate it.
jpg

jpg

There is some alleviation of the darkness in how the levels are lit.


It's not really my idea of a vampire fantasy, to be honest, ducking behind chimneys and picking people off with assault rifles. To me, this is far more battle royale than Vampire: The Masquerade. Then again, I only played a few games and was scrambling to keep up, so I didn't appreciate much of the nuance outlined above.

But the pace of a team multiplayer game (I didn't play solo) also means Bloodhunt struggles to really settle you into a Vampire: The Masquerade world. The city is Prague but it could be anywhere for all the time you have to really appreciate it. It doesn't help that it's dark as well. It really doesn't. Being dark means it's hard to make out what's going on, and who's shooting you. There's none of the bright clarity that sunlight affords Fortnite or Apex Legends or PUBG. But what can you do? This is a game about vampires. You can hardly turn the sunlight on.

jpg

jpg

But what I saw mostly looked like this.


While Prague is the main map, and will evolve over time as in other battle royale games, there is another place you can explore. It's only small though. It's the lobby area of Elysium, a kind of chapel or church interior where you can run around emoting at people while you wait for the matchmaker to find you a game. It's nicely detailed, though, and there are some NPCs you can speak to. They give you quests which earn you experience for a battle pass that's not implemented yet, but will be, I'm assured.

It leaves me in two minds about Bloodhunt. It feels a bit thin as it is. There are nice ideas, and it looks smart, but I don't think it's enough to pull people from the heavyweight battle royales and keep them occupied for more than a weekend. Nevertheless, this is pre-alpha, and it's a solid showing. It's certainly worth keeping an eye on.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/combine-...e-set-in-the-vampire-the-masquerade-universe/

Combine guns and vampire powers in Bloodhunt, a new battle royale game set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe
It's battle royale, but for goths.

If you've ever wished battle royale games were a little more supernatural, Bloodhunt might be the answer to your dark prayers. It's set in the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG universe, which means it features a contemporary gothic setting (in this case, the city of Prague) and various breeds of bloodsucker. There are still weapons in it—the usual selection of shotguns, assault rifles, and so on that you'd expect from a typical battle royale game—but the exciting thing about Bloodhunt is being able to use vampiric powers too.

I got a taste of these during a playtest as a member of the Nosferatu clan. These scary-lookin' vamps are ostracised by the rest of their kind, and are bad at hiding their vampirism from humans because they look like monsters. The class I decided to play as, the Saboteur, is built for stealth—which is ideal, because I basically approach battle royale games like stealth games. I prefer sneaking around on my own and avoiding people, then pulling my guns out when the play space has shrunk to the point where hiding is no longer practical.

The Saboteur is great because crouching turns you partially invisible. Your character model goes transparent—a similar effect to the stealth camo in the Metal Gear games—which makes you harder to spot in the cluttered, detailed alleys and rooftops of Prague. You're still visible, and I'm sure seasoned players will get frustratingly good at spotting these shimmering outlines. But if you stay still, it's pretty effective camouflage. And because sprinting cancels the effect, you're encouraged to move slowly and methodically to stay hidden.

Prague looks great, with a mix of modern and historical buildings making for an interesting urban landscape. I especially like the seedy backstreets that are lit by fluorescent neon signs advertising strip clubs and love hotels. It's shadowy and atmospheric and exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find a load of vampires trying to murder each other. It's also an effective setting in terms of map design, with narrow, maze-like alleys to skulk down and rooftops to scamper across. A densely packed urban setting, without any really big open spaces, works surprisingly well for a battle royale game.

As my Nosferatu and I crouch and sneak along a rooftop, I see other, less cowardly vampires leaping from building to building, exchanging gunfire. Occasionally other players will run past me, a few feet away, not realising I'm there half-hidden. It's a cool feeling. I also have an ability on a cooldown timer that turns me completely invisible for a few seconds, in a puff of smoke, and propels me forward at speed. This is great for ejecting myself from dangerous situations, or for making a quick escape if someone spots me and starts shooting at me.

Getting around the city is fun too. You can climb any surface, letting you easily (and quickly) transition from street level to the rooftops. Sometimes I crouch in those narrow alleys to avoid the chaos, occasionally crawling upwards to keep tabs on where people are and where the firefights are breaking out. The play space is, naturally, constantly shrinking. But there's a neat twist: the shape of it is random. This means you never quite know which parts of the city are going to be cut off as you're pushed towards the centre of the map.

When it was shootin' time, I inevitably got my ass kicked. But as a solo battle royale player, the Saboteur's magical stealth powers—and the verticality of the city—made for a satisfying couple of matches. But to mix things up, I decided to take a more aggressive stance in a later match. This time I play as a member of the Brujah clan, who have a reputation as fierce warriors and carry an affinity for war in their blood. Their best ability is a super-jump that lets you leap for long distances, which made navigating the rooftops of Prague a breeze.

Playing Bloodhunt as a straight shooter, I don't enjoy it quite as much—but that's likely down to personal taste. However, the combination of third-person shooting and those outlandish vampire powers is an entertaining one. The game has a very different, much more chaotic energy than a lot of battle royales. I don't last long as a Brujah, though. I was a lot more comfortable as a Nosferatu, slinking through the shadows, keeping out of harm's way. But it's encouraging to see different play styles catered for by its vampiric class system.

Bloodhunt is set for release on PC later this year, and will be free to play. If you want a taste of its fast-paced, bloodthirsty take on the battle royale genre, a closed alpha will be taking place on July 2. You can visit the official website for a chance to take part. Developer Sharkmob—a new studio made up of former AAA developers—has also promised that the game will feature "no pay-to-win or similar mechanics" and that it's being made with a "player focused mentality." A reassuring sentiment, and I like what I've seen of the game so far.
 

Rean

Head Codexian Weeb
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Strap Yourselves In
Make a fuckin bloody mess to restore the Masquerade.



Goes perfectly well with the lore.
 

prengle

Savant
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Oct 31, 2016
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i already forgot this existed and i don't think i ever want to be reminded of it again
 

ADL

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Oct 23, 2017
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How was the alpha test? I watched some livestream footage and like the verticality of this.
Only thing is it makes me sad because it reminds me of the cancelled CCP MMO
 

Jenkem

その目、だれの目?
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Make the Codex Great Again! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I helped put crap in Monomyth
oh yeah I played this.. it was.. ok? everything felt functionally fine and the verticality was nice but at the end of the day it's just another battle royale but now w/ a vampire gimmick.. was fun for the few rounds but has no lasting appeal really.
 
Last edited:

The_Mask

Just like Yves, I chase tales.
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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
Okay, so I just took a look at this, and I'm a bit puzzled.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

  • MINIMUM:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: i5-8600 / Ryzen 1600X or better
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GTX 1070 / RX 5600 XT or better
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Network: Broadband Internet connection
    • Storage: 20 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: SSD Strongly Recommended

  • RECOMMENDED:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: i7-8700K / Ryzen 5 3600X or better
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: RTX 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT or better
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 20 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: SSD Strongly Recommended
So... the business model behind a free to play game (no matter the type) is the availability to as many people as possible. How does this work, when your recommended specs have an RTX 2060 requirement?

This looks like a train wreck waiting to happen. I bet you this is an half-baked, unoptimized copy-cat mess.



The worst part? They're going to think it's the studio's fault. The setting. Or some other reason, other than the lack of work on it. Sadness.
 

Jenkem

その目、だれの目?
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Make the Codex Great Again! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I helped put crap in Monomyth
what was weird was that they didn't have settings in the game itself, but you selected what settings when launching from steam lol so the steam launch window pops up with selections for low/med/high/ultra
 

ADL

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Get used to a lot more of this. The consoles have the equivalent of a Ryzen 3600, RTX2070, NVMe drives and 16-20GB of memory.

That being said I'd imagine you might be able to operate under those minimum specs since they're already confirmed for FidelityFX Super Resolution.
 

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