Revisiting VtM: Bloodlines

[Old One]

Maybe the taxi driver is Dean Cain. He's probably looking for a job.

 

[baturinsky]

I dislike "taxi driver is Caine" idea because it lets attribute everything to "Caine did it" instead of looking for more interesting explanation.

 

[Roguey]

I dislike "taxi driver is Caine" idea because it lets attribute everything to "Caine did it" instead of looking for more interesting explanation.

There can be no interesting explanation for a gambit roulette.

 

[Barbarian]

Was this ever confirmed by a dev?

I remember when you listen to the taxi driver calling in that "deb of night" radio show or whatever it was called. The guy certainly seemed off his rockers, what with the transylvanian accent and threatening radio show hosts with end of the world scenarios. Very malkavian-esque.

Aren't you mistaken here? It was Andrei the damn Tzimisce (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkJSU9JQV4).

Ah, thanks for that. Haven't played it in quite a while so I guess it was memory playing tricks. I remember "Caine" or whoever had a peculiar accent as well, but looking at other videos I see it is very different.

Besides the taxi talks near the end of the game and the fact that he shows up behind Jack in the ending, was there anything else about the guy? I can't remember.

 

[Beastro]

a being as powerful as him won't involve himself with such direct manipulation because he can simply wish it and it would happen

No wonder they rebooted the universe. Talk about power creep.

 

[baturinsky]

I dislike "taxi driver is Caine" idea because it lets attribute everything to "Caine did it" instead of looking for more interesting explanation.

There can be no interesting explanation for a gambit roulette.

It's not complex enough for Roulette. Booby trapped sarcophagus was enough to take out LaCroix, everything else is a bonus. Jack probably had Gary on his side, and maybe Becket too.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Yeah, it's not really a Roulette. Trap was obliviously meant for someone greedy enough to open the damn thing - probably LaCroix. But once it went missing Jack just basically lays back and enjoys the show while betting on who's going to win it and get blown up with his buddy cab-Cain. He's in it for chaos and laughs. The most he does is manipulate the player by telling him that he should return it to the prince and later saving him from sunlight. Hell, in two endings the trap fails completely.

 

[Jaesun]

I have often pondered the thought, that someone at Troika specifically named the taxi-drivers files Cain, JUST to troll the community.

Thirty Seven pages later.....

 

[laclongquan]

The Codex of that time was pretty different from now.

Now? Yes, some dev might have causes to do that. But then? Naaaah.

 

[ghostdog]

I have often pondered the thought, that someone at Troika specifically named the taxi-drivers files Cain, JUST to troll the community.

Thirty Seven pages later.....

yeah, this thread is starting to remind me of those threads in the old VTM forums. Caine this, Caine that, what if this what if that, fanfiction galore. IIRC the horse had been beaten that much to death, that when some newbie started a thread about Caine it was insta-locked, or something.

 

[Puukko]

Wasn't one theory that the cab driver is a Malk who just thinks he's Caine?

 

[Jaesun]

Do people actually read this thread?

 

[Prime Junta]

Just the last page, as usual.

 

[Gord]

Found out yesterday that there's now a shortcut through the warrens with UP+

 

[Goral]

Yeah, several people have mentioned that already in previous pages . But I agree, this shortcut is great (then again you can always use noclip cheat, you not only can make your own shortcut that way but you also travel with higher speed).

 

[Grunker]

Caine this, Caine that, what if this what if that, fanfiction galore.

I stopped reading the thread after it devolved, noticed by chance you posted, checked the thread again.

Nope, still discussing irrelevant turbodweeb fanfic stuff.

 

[Lhynn]

your Storyteller hates you.

But sometimes fuck ups just happen, you are trying to get from A to B on a train and get stranded on the middle of the road, which means on their territory more often than not.

You're assuming the Vampire will get to act first, which is quite a stretch, considering the Wolf would probably just jump out Umbra unexpectedly.

Not assuming anything, but if they are both fleeing combat, only to re-engage at a later, more convenient time, there wont be much combat. Plus if the werewolf were to let the vampire go, and the vampire was particularly petty, he can merely summon the garou into a trap, and theres not a damn thing the dog can do about it.

But their minds aren't their greatest weakness. It's their almost complete lack of pull within the mortal society (comparative to Kindred). You exploit that, not roll the dice and hope you have sufficient luck to act first, not botch your Dominate/Presence rolls etc.

Nonsense, plenty of powerful werewolfs on human society. Vampires may be more rooted in it, but werewolves can still have a strong footing there, and some do. As CEOs of big companies, or even big political figures, information brokers that can rival the nosferatu, etc.

The Garou were intentionally designed to be greatly superior to Kindred in combat by White Wolf themselves and to completely discourage you from meeting them face-to-face. You can argue about it 'till the cows come home, but that's how it is.

But this im not arguing, just saying there are ways. Dominate doesnt exactly involve combat, more like it stops the whole thing on its tracks. Plus im not arguing only for dominate, presence is more powerful and has more interesting short time uses. Dominate 1 is the only one of use in a fight.

And "fuck them, fuck everyone" isn't really an argument.

Nope, but everything else ive pointed out is, so far the only thing youve shown me is a legendary ability that should work if the garou happens to have it(which is very impossible) and wins iniciative (which is fairly possible). Or running away from the vampire until he can engage at very close range.

How i would do it is, in the first round, as the garou approaches or flees id use majesty and wait for my new friend, when he gets there ready to destroy me (by whichever means he is using to get where i am) i would pat his head and would feed him a bone shaped cookie. After that, if i were inclined to do so i would take fiddo home and rewrite its memories. Of course its all a matter of luck, statistically id have around an 80% of pulling it off, so i would never chance it unless i was unlucky enough to HAVE to do it.

As you pointed out above, one of my WoD DMs hated my guts, because i diablerized the citys prince and ruined his campaign, so he spent around half the time we were at the table trying to murder me without being too overt. This meant i had to get creative to survive. And so mages, werewolves, assamites, hunters from the society and untold abominations were after me at some point or another. I usually managed to flee, but sometimes, when chances were in my favor because he missed something, id beat the shit out of my pursuers. Which only made it worse i guess.

Nope, still discussing irrelevant turbodweeb fanfic stuff.

Fuck off grunker. You are boring. Everything bloodlines has been discussed to death. What do you hope to read? the next asshole that brings up the sewer level?

 

[ZagorTeNej]

Yeah, several people have mentioned that already in previous pages . But I agree, this shortcut is great (then again you can always use noclip cheat, you not only can make your own shortcut that way but you also travel with higher speed).

Meh, sewers are like 20-30 minutes long unless you're playing the game for the first time ever (or after such a long interval that you've forgotten all about it). Plus, they present a decent challenge in managing your resources with no human/ghoul enemies to get ammo/blood from. It's an underdeveloped section for sure (copy/paste design, no alternate routes etc.) but I've always thought its awfulness is overstated.

I kinda enjoy planing for it, stockpiling on ammo and such (not that it's neccessary, there are exits to the surface on nearly ever level) in a new playthrough.

 

[Lacrymas]

It's just samey, long and boring, with nothing interesting to discover or do. Long stretches of corridors with a gauntlet of enemies, not really a pinnacle of level design.

 

[Puukko]

Has there ever really been a game that did sewers well though?

 

[Baron Dupek]

Has there ever really been a game that did sewers well though?

Bad Rats count?

 

[TripJack]

mercurio was caine all along

 

[Goral]

(...) Meh, sewers are like 20-30 minutes long unless you're playing the game for the first time ever (or after such a long interval that you've forgotten all about it). Plus, they present a decent challenge in managing your resources with no human/ghoul enemies to get ammo/blood from. It's an underdeveloped section for sure (copy/paste design, no alternate routes etc.) but I've always thought its awfulness is overstated. (...)

I don't think they're that awful either but after n-th time even 30 minutes are a total waste. Last time I played it (without shortcut) I just rushed through the sewers ignoring all enemies I could and it still took quite a bit of time. For the first time though shortcut is not recommended since it is an interesting location and with great moments such as this one:

 

[Raghar]

Has there ever really been a game that did sewers well though?

A lot of them actually. What do you want to do in them?

 

[Old One]

Games always leave out that charming sewer smell.

Reinstalled.

I haven't played much because I've been fiddling.

The first time I got to Jack, his voice was really reverby and so quiet I could barely hear it. I looked in one of the config files for the UP and discovered surround sound was turned on, which doesn't work all that well with headphones. Turned off surround sound and I could hear the voices again.

One thing I really like about the UP is the way sound schemes are set up. I always turn off the music in the tutorial and the hubs. Even if you like it it's too damn loud and there's no built-in volume control. Especially if you play Malkavian, since even without the music it's hard to hear Tony, the little boy who lives in your mouth, when he whispers "REDRUM."