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

[Sailor Woedica]

- Sequence of bad trailers not showing game in good light
- Weak developer studio is not putting its best foot forward, if that's even possible
- Mitsoda fired, he had no idea why (debatable, but his writing I was looking forward to)
- Cluney, Creative Director, fired, very little info on this, don't care all that much
- Cara Ellison fired/left in September (again, don't care about writing other than Mitsoda)
- Paradox producer, Schlutter, who I think was in charge of Paradox's RPG division, also fired
- Game release date pushed out after weak and dismal official annoucement of staffing changes and bringing in new personnel to replace Cluney and finish the game
- Nothing new shown that makes old footage look good probably won't be for a while if at all
- Glance at resumes of current designers and devs do not inspire confidence (Anna Webster, Erik Waaaaaaaananen, and the idiot lead producer who wrote the last filler dev diary)

The positive spin people seem to place on the game is that "oh, the writing must be done" to be able to get rid of these people, so there's that, but no idea what that means for the DLC.

In short, aside from the other problems I listed earlier in this thread about Hardsuit itself, the game just seems to be in development hell. It happens, but rarely at this level of ineptitude all courtesy of the studios involved, so that's entertainment at least.

And there's no cool lewks.

 

[Caim]

Changeling: The idea of changelings doesn't work very well, or at all, with the idea of hidden horror from world of darkness. Also, take this phrase from the white wolf wiki: "The Inanimae are wakening from their long slumber, the Twilight Trods are opening, and the Adhene are coming back". With this many made up words, is it a surprise that people who play this usually make snowflake characters?

Changeling: The Dreaming has in its 20th Anniversary Edition exactly 100 splats to choose from. This puts it way above any other game line of the Old World of Darkness, and in the New World of Darkness it is only surpassed by Vampire: The Requiem with its 120-ish splats. Changeling: The Lost has to make do with a "mere" 92.

Mass Effect, except you're a Void Engineer and it takes place in the Umbra.

Caim, no joke, this sounds cool.

Yeah, too bad it is too good an idea to make a game out of, and in Mage V we can look forward to the Technocracy being reverted to its cartoonishly evil 1e incarnation.

 

[Lambach]

I thought that's a bonus?

Not really. If I wanted to play D&D, I'd play D&D, not an ecofag, wannabe-grimdark knockoff with significantly worse and simpler combat mechanics.

 

[Semiurge]

There was some very, very minor optimism, which has been dispelled by the time of the gameplay demo, and possibly before that. It was the Thinblood focus for me.

Thinbloods indeed. Intuitively they always seemed like the one "clan" that new developers would latch on to - a thinblood is by its definition, an incomplete, flawed vampire. And yet they were made powerful in BL2's setting by their thinblood powers alone, which is just ridiculous. What's more, you could even become a "made vampire" somewhere early in the game when you diablerize a real vampire, but I'm sure your thinblood roots would still have some relevance in the story, their long term impact on the mechanics was already confirmed when we learned that you could keep your thinblood disciplines forever. I doubt they would've thrown away the chance to make your character whine about its downtrodden background, it's just too good an opportunity for some social commentary. "Here I am, get used to it. A former thinblood, so beautiful, brave and powerful but don't you ever imply that this was an easy path to take, you diabolical oppressors!"

 

[ga♥]

There are no "diversity quotas" in the gaming industry. People are constantly drawn to this topic when the obvious explanation is right in front of your eyes. Paradox hired a noname multiplayer shooter studio make a sequel to one of the greatest RPGs. It didn't work out!

I am sure Bethseda (or Obsidian) would have done a better job, right?

 

[santino27]

So what exactly was the reason everyone began shitting on this? I miss a few dozen pages and the attitudes have completely changed.

Changed? I've have kept up neither with the game nor this thread, but I think the attitudes were rather pessimistic from the get go?

There was some very, very minor optimism, which has been dispelled by the time of the gameplay demo, and possibly before that. It was the Thinblood focus for me.

I was cautiously optimistic until Cara started giving interviews and then 'appeared' (may not have been true, just because Brian is a socially anxious shut-in that didn't want to deal with such things) to be getting more and more control over the game.

 

[Gordian Nutt]

Thinbloods indeed. Intuitively they always seemed like the one "clan" that new developers would latch on to - a thinblood is by its definition, an incomplete, flawed vampire. And yet they were made powerful in BL2's setting by their thinblood powers alone, which is just ridiculous. What's more, you could even become a "made vampire" somewhere early in the game when you diablerize a real vampire, but I'm sure your thinblood roots would still have some relevance in the story, their long term impact on the mechanics was already confirmed when we learned that you could keep your thinblood disciplines forever. I doubt they would've thrown away the chance to make your character whine about its downtrodden background, it's just too good an opportunity for some social commentary. "Here I am, get used to it. A former thinblood, so beautiful, brave and powerful but don't you ever imply that this was an easy path to take, you diabolical oppressors!"

Thinbloods just sound dumb and weak

I know they are part of the setting but it is such a dumb name and no one who wants to play a vampire wants to be a third rate one - inexperienced maybe, but not shitty

 

[Semiurge]

Thinbloods indeed. Intuitively they always seemed like the one "clan" that new developers would latch on to - a thinblood is by its definition, an incomplete, flawed vampire. And yet they were made powerful in BL2's setting by their thinblood powers alone, which is just ridiculous. What's more, you could even become a "made vampire" somewhere early in the game when you diablerize a real vampire, but I'm sure your thinblood roots would still have some relevance in the story, their long term impact on the mechanics was already confirmed when we learned that you could keep your thinblood disciplines forever. I doubt they would've thrown away the chance to make your character whine about its downtrodden background, it's just too good an opportunity for some social commentary. "Here I am, get used to it. A former thinblood, so beautiful, brave and powerful but don't you ever imply that this was an easy path to take, you diabolical oppressors!"

Thinbloods just sound dumb and weak

I know they are part of the setting but it is such a dumb name and no one who wants to play a vampire wants to be a third rate one - inexperienced maybe, but not shitty

They are also one of the signs of Gehenna, just like how neo-liberals are a sign of cultural decline. A generation of pampered kids, softened and weakened by peaceable times and with way too much time devoted to first world problems. Thinbloods are lost, they don't know whether they're vampires or humans, just like how neo-liberals are lost and confused, in the mire of gender identity acronyms.

 

[Gordian Nutt]

They are also one of the signs of Gehenna, just like how neo-liberals are a sign of cultural decline. A generation of pampered kids, softened and weakened by peaceable times.

not the vampire power fantasy anyone was promised or wants

 

[Darkwind]

A proper WoD game is a cringy angstfest, the only good thing about WoD is lore/metaplot.

Disagree. IRL it was a beacon, likes moths to a flame, to pick up semi-broken and/or crazy chicks. Generally of very loose morals because vampires are like, sooooo sensual. Goth sloots, bad existentialist poets, etc. I did some of my best work cruising for artsy angsty grrls in the late 90s early 00s as a young lad in this manner. Good times!

 

[Wunderbar]

Remember how Paradox trademarked the word "vamily"? lol

 

[Roguey]

I am sure Bethseda (or Obsidian) would have done a better job, right?

Bethesda and Obsidian would have actually shipped something, so a better job by Paradox's standards, yes. Outer Worlds>Bloodlines 2 by virtue of simply existing.

 

[ga♥]

I am sure Bethseda (or Obsidian) would have done a better job, right?

Bethesda and Obsidian would have actually shipped something, so a better job by Paradox's standards, yes. Outer Worlds>Bloodlines 2 by virtue of simply existing.

Most agrees """""""something"""""" will be shipped Roguey.
It isn't cancelled, and it won't after all the money poured in it.

Even the promo with the "vampire tinder" costed a lot, they won't cancel it. They will deliver a mega turd, so at least on par with Outer Worlds.

 

[Volrath]

Thinbloods indeed. Intuitively they always seemed like the one "clan" that new developers would latch on to - a thinblood is by its definition, an incomplete, flawed vampire. And yet they were made powerful in BL2's setting by their thinblood powers alone, which is just ridiculous. What's more, you could even become a "made vampire" somewhere early in the game when you diablerize a real vampire, but I'm sure your thinblood roots would still have some relevance in the story, their long term impact on the mechanics was already confirmed when we learned that you could keep your thinblood disciplines forever. I doubt they would've thrown away the chance to make your character whine about its downtrodden background, it's just too good an opportunity for some social commentary. "Here I am, get used to it. A former thinblood, so beautiful, brave and powerful but don't you ever imply that this was an easy path to take, you diabolical oppressors!"

Thinbloods just sound dumb and weak

I know they are part of the setting but it is such a dumb name and no one who wants to play a vampire wants to be a third rate one - inexperienced maybe, but not shitty

They are also one of the signs of Gehenna, just like how neo-liberals are a sign of cultural decline. A generation of pampered kids, softened and weakened by peaceable times and with way too much time devoted to first world problems. Thinbloods are lost, they don't know whether they're vampires or humans, just like how neo-liberals are lost and confused, in the mire of gender identity acronyms.

Wasn't Gehenna confirmed to be nothing more than a hoax in the updated lore?

 

[Cael]

Thinbloods indeed. Intuitively they always seemed like the one "clan" that new developers would latch on to - a thinblood is by its definition, an incomplete, flawed vampire. And yet they were made powerful in BL2's setting by their thinblood powers alone, which is just ridiculous. What's more, you could even become a "made vampire" somewhere early in the game when you diablerize a real vampire, but I'm sure your thinblood roots would still have some relevance in the story, their long term impact on the mechanics was already confirmed when we learned that you could keep your thinblood disciplines forever. I doubt they would've thrown away the chance to make your character whine about its downtrodden background, it's just too good an opportunity for some social commentary. "Here I am, get used to it. A former thinblood, so beautiful, brave and powerful but don't you ever imply that this was an easy path to take, you diabolical oppressors!"

Thinbloods just sound dumb and weak

I know they are part of the setting but it is such a dumb name and no one who wants to play a vampire wants to be a third rate one - inexperienced maybe, but not shitty

They are also one of the signs of Gehenna, just like how neo-liberals are a sign of cultural decline. A generation of pampered kids, softened and weakened by peaceable times and with way too much time devoted to first world problems. Thinbloods are lost, they don't know whether they're vampires or humans, just like how neo-liberals are lost and confused, in the mire of gender identity acronyms.

Wasn't Gehenna confirmed to be nothing more than a hoax in the updated lore?

It went from "world ending" to "periodically very uncomfortable for powerful vampires".

 

[Semiurge]

Remember how Paradox trademarked "vamily"? lol

Lol, "Ve are Vamily"

 

[Caim]

Wasn't Gehenna confirmed to be nothing more than a hoax in the updated lore?

I stick to the idea that Gehenna is cyclical in nature, and it's rolling around again. The antediluvians date back to about 10000 years ago. But not only is Caine is a full order of magnitude older than that, pretty much the entire Fourth Generation is only 4000-5000 years old, with some not even being born before Christ did. So where did all of those vampires go?

 

[Avarize]

Lol, "Ve are Vamily"

Why is that guy flexing his traps like that?

 

[Semiurge]

Lol, "Ve are Vamily"

Why is that guy flexing his traps like that?

That's how gay vampires roar in the sweet throes of unbridled passion.

 

[Jenkem]

Don't listen to Roguey spreading fake news implying this game will never see release. Work continues and Paradox is going to make this the best game in the WoD franchise.

 

[kangaxx]

"vampire tinder"

What fresh hell is this?

 

[Jenkem]

sorry sweatie it's called "tender" and it's FABULOUS

 

[Semiurge]

They will deliver a mega turd, so at least on par with Outer Worlds.

At this point they'd better deliver a mega turd rather than lukewarm diarrhea. If they deliver, it will serve as a warning to future generations and as cornucopia of entertainment. If they won't, it will simply be forgotten (but not by us) as mediocre.

 

[Vincente]

"vampire tinder"

What fresh hell is this?

It's from V5's Camarilla sourcebook and mentioned once in the entire book, in p. 156 to be exact.

Paradox however made a full ARG with it, they even made a big reveal event, ARG and even a real life maze for some hand picked fans to ''reveal the secrets'', it was some big shit show.

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Lol, "Ve are Vamily"

I thought this was a Last of Us 2 screenshot for a second