Interview Bloodlines interview at RPG Vault

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Troika Games; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

<a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com>RPG Vault</a> posted a very interesting <a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/512/512140p1.html>interview</a> with <b>Leonard Boyarsky</b> about <a href=http://www.vampirebloodlines.com>Bloodlines</a>.
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<blockquote><b>There seems to be a perception in some quarters that Bloodlines is an action RPG or even a first-person action game. How do you think this came about, and what's your reaction to it?</b>
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Vampire is definitely first and foremost an RPG. I think this perception you speak of may have initially been based on the fact that we ARE developing the game using the Half-Life 2 engine - a very well known FPS engine. On that note, with Vampire, FPS combat was implemented early on, so it was one of the first aspects of the game that we were able to unveil.
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If you take a look at the game now, it's readily apparent that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is an RPG that delivers all the depth and creativity of an RPG (rich storyline, deep character development, character interaction, etc.) with FPS elements. Valve's Source Engine provides us the benefit of beautiful graphics, characters that can communicate their emotions through realistic facial expressions, and the immediacy of action only previously available in FPS and action games, making Bloodlines a revolutionary RPG.
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<b>Is there a Troika style of CRPG? If so, what are the main elements and features you try to emphasize? </b>
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Definitely! When Troika makes an RPG, we always want to have an <i>in-depth storyline, lots of character interaction, and a lot of dialogue choices</i> for the PC. We also believe strongly in having the gameworld react to players' choices. In short, we like to let gamers play the way they want as much as possible.</blockquote>The statement loses some impact considering that <a href=http://www.troikagames.com/toee.htm>ToEE</a> didn't have any of the above. Awesome dungeon crawler though.
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[EEVIAC]

Story, character interaction and dialogue are are all superfluous in the face of having the gameworld react to players' choices. That's the most important part of modern gaming as far as I'm concerned. I don't just want interactive story books or combat simulations, I want complicated micro-worlds that I can experiment and interact with. No blind paths, no broken choices.

 

[Nightjed]

This picture weirds me out http://vaultmedia.ign.com/rpgvault/image/vtmbloodlines0405-01_1083951354.jpg
wth is a glowing Samuel Jackson with a small afro doing holding a ultra tiny toy gun in his humongous hands ? the effect is kinda shitty
other pics like http://vaultmedia.ign.com/rpgvault/image/vtmbloodlines0405-05_1083951526.jpg feature some really gay hats,
and of course the obligatory matrix looking boob bot http://vaultmedia.ign.com/rpgvault/image/vtmbloodlines0405-04_1083951480.jpg
dont you think those glasses look really really weird ?

Jonric: There are grognards who believe "real" CRPGs must be turn-based, third-person, party-based or all three. Why should such individuals consider Bloodlines, or is it simply not a game for them?

wtf is a grognard ... ? so whats a real rpg for this Jonric ? morrowind ? doom ? pong ?

Now take that and add all the benefits of a next-gen, first-person engine like Valve's Source Engine, and players will get the feeling that when they use a discipline or fire a gun, it's actually them that's performing the action.

Oh man, before valve's source engine the pc played for US! .... THA MADNESS!!!, now the new valve engine will make you FEEEL~~~ like you are there using gay glowing vampires with tiny weapons, gay hats and big sloopy boobs!

 

[Megatron]

stfu noobs this is city of heroes with VAMPIRES alright? stuf lol

 

[Sol Invictus]

The guy in the gigantic party hat is a pimp, and possibly a pivotal character in the game. I've seen him in a number of other screenshots so he seems to be at least somewhat important to the game's storyline.

He's probably also a vampire, as he looks to be giving the guy in the hooded robe orders.

I think that's just what games need - characters with distinctive character. Personally, I like that sort of thing. It gives games the kind of edge that a boring game with boring looking characters wouldn't have. If there's one thing I like about Bioware games (excluding NWN) is that the characters have distinctive, interesting personalities (albeit superficial ones), like Jolee, HK47 and a number of the characters in the BG series of games. Some might find them annoying in some ways, but better that they're annoying than simply boring. Fallout had a number of those - don't you all remember Gizmo or Killian... or Set?

 

[Sol Invictus]

Sounds to me like Nightjed wants another round at "Boring Fantasy RPG 2.0"

 

[Sol Invictus]

Oh man, before valve's source engine the pc played for US! .... THA MADNESS!!!, now the new valve engine will make you FEEEL~~~ like you are there using gay glowing vampires with tiny weapons, gay hats and big sloopy boobs!

omg teh grafix si sux

 

[Grefter]

Holy shit, is that dude Cat in the Hat or what?

Edit - Uh yeah that would be in reference to Nightjed's second link.

 

[merry andrew]

omg teh grafix si sux

wth is Ron Perlman doing there like he saw Medusa or something?

Oh and when Leonard went "it's actually them peforming the action", I'm pretty sure he was referring to first-person engine vs top-down isometric engine amount of player interaction. Or he was just endorsing the Source Engine eheheheheheheheheheh

 

[Nightjed]

Sounds to me like Nightjed wants another round at "Boring Fantasy RPG 2.0"

Meh, im just tired of all the fuzz with the grapics and meaningless questions, specially when the graphics dont really look that hot, in fact a lot of them look ridiculous, and im also tired of some idiots like Mr Jonric trying to tell ME what I like.

 

[Megatron]

the graphics in most rpgs are shit. Vampire is probably the best looking one or something.

It seems to use the sparkly effects a little too much though. bling bling.

I don't mind the wacky looking characters. So long as there's not too many of them. And the AI reacts accordingly. I'm bored of vanilla goths or suited men in any modern game though. Bring on all the funky looking retards.

 

[Araanor]

wtf is a grognard ... ? so whats a real rpg for this Jonric ? morrowind ? doom ? pong ?

Grognard is a slang for a wargamer. Think Hex-based maps with units sprawled out. It's odd they would use the term to refer to RPG gamers.

 

[EEVIAC]

Grognard is a slang for a wargamer. Think Hex-based maps with units sprawled out. It's odd they would use the term to refer to RPG gamers.

Took a look at Everything and found this interesting tidbit :

The word was originally used to describe veteran soldiers in Napoleon's army - in French, it can be translated as "grumbler".

In that sense it can apply to RPG traditionalists as well.

 

[Voss]

Its wandered into general usage. Basically the old, bitter folks, who know (or more often think they know) all the rules backwards and forwards.
Whats fun is trying to catch them out on a rules point where they're wrong- their heads tend to explode, as they can't cope with the shift in reality as they see it.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Like all those geeks at the Obsidian forums.

 

[Volourn]

aka Exitium.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Fallout had a number of those - don't you all remember Gizmo or Killian... or Set?

Yeah, but none of them wore funny hats or wore plain out weird looking shit. Some of the guys in those screenshots just look plain daft. Good graphics? Maybe. Weird looking a'holes in the game? You betcha. Throw in the boob jiggle algorithm and it's all downhill from there, I would think. Set, Gizmo and Killian were characters that you could respect. The Cat in the Hat, Spock playing as the Man with the Golden Gun and Radioactive Man are just plain laughable.

 

[Azael]

Aren't the sparkles/glows an effect of seeing auras?

 

[Anonymous]

Meh, im just tired of all the fuzz with the grapics and meaningless questions, specially when the graphics dont really look that hot, in fact a lot of them look ridiculous, and im also tired of some idiots like Mr Jonric trying to tell ME what I like.

Well, I think the point of all these things are to sell game and get people interested, notice they talk about graphics, guns, HL2 engine and multiplayer the most. I think i'm on to something, watson!

And yeah, I think they are auras.