Preview GameSpy previews Bloodlines

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Leonard Boyarsky; Troika Games; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

<a href=http://www.gamespy.com>GameSpy</a> has posted a 3-page <a href=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines/558109p1.html>preview</a> of <a href=http://www.vampirebloodlines.com>Bloodlines</a>. The preview features many Leon's comments, so, since you all know everything there is to know about Bloodlines, I'll focus on what Leon said.
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<blockquote>On the one hand, we had people within the company who were really pushing us to focus on the RPG aspects of the game, the conversations and the storyline. On the other hand, we had some of our younger testers who kept coming up to us and saying that what the game needed was much more combat.</blockquote>Hmm, people within the company (RPG designers, I assume) vs some FPS junkie testers. That's a tough choice.
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Thanks, <b>Trash</b>
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[Trash]

Somehow this game sounds less like an rpg and more as a deus ex clone every time I hear more about it. That isn't necesarily a bad thing (I kinda digged deus ex) but it is a bit of a let down after hoping for the next big role playing thing.

 

[Azael]

Well, I'll wait and see, but I can't say that this surprises me. I've pretty much expected the shooter/twitch elements to be pretty significant. Frankly, if there really are multiple endings, choices that matter and different solutions (with different outcomes) to quests, I don't really care that much.

 

[The Exar]

If there is something to fear - its these "younger testers". Damn FPS maniacs. Troika are trying to find the balance and the welps just make the work harder by whining for "more combat". Dont hear to their wishes, Leon! Give the "test work" to us!

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Troika are trying to find the balance and the welps just make the work harder by whining for "more combat". Dont hear to their wishes, Leon! Give the "test work" to us!

How would that be much different or better? I don't think a game like Bloodlines would need more combat, but I find FPS enthusiasts asking for more combat is as problematic as RPG enthusiasts asking for more roleplaying in the context of a game which is trying to go the middle ground and provide a satisfactory result to both sides.

 

[Reklar]

Troika are trying to find the balance and the welps just make the work harder by whining for "more combat". Dont hear to their wishes, Leon! Give the "test work" to us!

How would that be much different or better? I don't think a game like Bloodlines would need more combat, but I find FPS enthusiasts asking for more combat is as problematic as RPG enthusiasts asking for more roleplaying in the context of a game which is trying to go the middle ground and provide a satisfactory result to both sides.

Isn't that akin to "balancing" between real-time and turn-based combat? Given the development history of Troika's founders I would be more inclined to support them for their cRPG elements than their FPS combat. One hopes, for Troika's sake at least, that the middle ground doesn't turn out to be a quagmire.

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[Whipporowill]

Good to see not ALL female vampires have these enormous knockers that's been touted in some of the videos. The chinese chick actually looks quite normal... I hope she's not the only one.

As for the rest of the interview - there's some combat info that sounded pretty interesting. I had no idea vaulting over enemies and cutting their throat was possible, yikes. There not being 100% pure to pnp rules and leaving out Masque for instance... it's been known for a long time, although the design "schism" within the company is news to me - probably due to hiring a lot of people that earlier used to work on fps games during the development of Bloodlines. Hopefully it works out to the best as a nice mix without loosing too much flavour.

And in related news straight from a Doug Lombardi HL2 interview at HomeLan:

HomeLAN - Can you confirm that Trokia and Activision can not release Vampire: The Masquarade - Bloodlines until Half-Life 2 has been released for a period of time and if so can they still release the game as planned this fall?

Doug Lombardi - There is no time limit. It just cannot be released prior to HL2.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Isn't that akin to "balancing" between real-time and turn-based combat?

I think it's akin to trying to balance out any elements which would be considered to be the opposite of each other.

Given the development history of Troika's founders I would be more inclined to support them for their cRPG elements than their FPS combat.

One thing is to support what they do better. The other is to support the notion that focusing more on roleplaying than on firstperson combat in a game which is attempting to present both of them in a single game.

 

[mr. lamat]

^aye. to me, it seems as though troika has tried to set a benchmark with this game. finding that balance between hectic action, story and choice. it's an ambitious task but i think it was taken on with trying to make a positive impact on the future of crpgs as well as turn a profit.

i also bought a 3.0ghz pc rig on the weekend just to play the fucker... i have somewhat of a bias.

 

[Volourn]

Sounds better than i thoguht.. too bad it's an FPS with skills. Ooo.. Wowsers!

Only the role-playing and story can save it!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Hmm, I'm pretty sure my news post was a bit longer... I guess this thread's been visited by the word count police.

 

[Whipporowill]

Uh, what's missing?

 

[LeonX]

I must have not been clear enough when I was talking with Gamespy about this - I probably glossed over it too fast. So, here's the detailed version of what I was trying to say:

There was never any factionalization during the development of Bloodlines, with one wanting more FPS and one wanting more RPG. This game has always been designed as a real, in depth RPG with action combat, and that is what we achieved (I'm not biased or anything).

The story I was telling that seems to have generated this was that Tom Decker (our producer) told me after he played the game through for the first time that he thought the story and the dialog were great, but he's not big on action oriented combat (though he still loved the game overall - and I'm sure he's not biased). So then, not ten minutes later, Chad Moore (designer, writer, artist, etc) came in screaming (if you know Chad you'll know what I'm talking about) that our combat was awesome and that he would have liked to have seen more combat in the game (he liked it overall too, but I'm pretty sure he's biased). The point I was trying to make was that even if you're not a big fan of action oriented combat, this game is still at its heart an in depth RPG that RPG players will love, and that people who love action will approve of the combat. Keep in mind that Chad is one of our dialog writers, and he was responsible for alot of the story/depth of Arcanum, so for him to focus on the combat more than the RPG elements says something (not sure what, but I bet it's profound).

leon

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Thanks Leon, for clearing that up.

 

[Trash]

Gotta love developers commenting on a forum. Leon, you made me a troika fanboy. :D

 

[Whipporowill]

Thanks for clearing it up Leon! Can't wait to see for myself...

 

[Sol Invictus]

Sweet. Looking forward to it, then. Let's see if it lives up to your unbiased hype.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Thanks Leon, for clearing that up.

Agreed. Thanks for developing that point, Leon.

 

[Volourn]

"this game is still at its heart an in depth RPG that RPG players will love"

Like TOEE? :wink: I kid, I kid.

Seriously, though there are parts of Vamprie I dislike; it's a game I look forwrad to playing eventually. Hoepfully, a week after its release if all goes well for you guys. :twisted:

 

[Vault Dweller]

Uh, what's missing?

Well, what's left is like one-fifth of what was there originally. I wish I was given a choice of what to keep, because, frankly, I'd rather see Leon's comments on the linearity and "required" combat.

 

[Whipporowill]

Damn you VD, quoting more than one paragraph again were you?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Rules are meant to be broken, are they not?

 

[Calis]

(if you know Chad you'll know what I'm talking about)

Chad's still at Troika? I heard he left or sumthin. Or maybe that's just my memory being fuzzy again. Still, it's good he's still there, since we probably want to interview him at some point, since his answers tend to have high entertainment value.

Gotta love developers commenting on a forum. Leon, you made me a troika fanboy.

In the immortal words of Volourn: Why lie you do? You've been a closet Troika fanboi for years.

 

[Volourn]

"Why lie you do?"

R00fles! :D

Not exactly the way I put it; but for some reason it's even more funny your way. :twisted: