World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - VTMB sequel from The Chinese Room - coming early 2025

[Jacov]

HS at least had decency to show dialogue checks.

And how do you know TCR doesn't?

Yeah, we saw a grand total of two dialogue menus and Bloodlines certainly didn't have a check in every or even most conversations.

Of course it's still possible they did away with them. If they know they can't do them well, does one think they should do them at all?

2 > 0
(Or did you mean the new Bloodlines? Nonetheless, if they have skill checks, why not show them in the video about dialogues and narrative?)

An attempt, even shitty one, is better than nothing. Apathy is death.

 

[Storyfag]

HS at least had decency to show dialogue checks.

And how do you know TCR doesn't?

Why didn't TCR show them in their video then? Such important part of RPG writing and they don't highlight it in their PR talk about «Narrative & RPG Stream»?

When the dev in the video is asked about how players will be able to customize their narrative experience, he doesn't outright answer that «you will have dialogue choices based on your clan and stats», instead giving some evasive non-answer. The only thing even related to character development mentioned is clans, with no additional info.

I of course, hope I'm wrong, but this is just another red flag.

Stop jumping to conclusions. You will have to play the game seven times to be able to truly tell if it is bad or not.

 

[Bulo]

Now now, let us not scale to their level. IF they know they can't do dialogue checks well, they shouldn't be making any RPG, much less VTMB2. But that stil remains to be determined.

I wouldn't hold that against them. Most* RPGs don't have super-compelling dialogue checks and this includes Bloodlines itself. A lot of people (me included) still like having them though. As long as they're not "You're a computer" stupid.


Also, for fun, here's a bunch of screenshots I had already taken of Bloodlines dialogue with checkless or limited dialogue options to remember it as it was and not the game in one's head.

Spoiler

 

[Jacov]

HS at least had decency to show dialogue checks.

And how do you know TCR doesn't?

Why didn't TCR show them in their video then? Such important part of RPG writing and they don't highlight it in their PR talk about «Narrative & RPG Stream»?

When the dev in the video is asked about how players will be able to customize their narrative experience, he doesn't outright answer that «you will have dialogue choices based on your clan and stats», instead giving some evasive non-answer. The only thing even related to character development mentioned is clans, with no additional info.

I of course, hope I'm wrong, but this is just another red flag.

Stop jumping to conclusions. You will have to play the game seven times to be able to truly tell if it is bad or not.

I'm only basing my assumptions on what I'm shown. As a potential customer, I want RPG devs to talk about RPG mechanics in an RPG game.

 

[Roguey]

(Or did you mean the new Bloodlines? Nonetheless, if they have skill checks, why not show them in the video about dialogues and narrative?)

Because they don't really have anything to show (they told us about the narrative reactivity to clothing but couldn't show us) and they really shouldn't have shown those two obviously unfinished scenes to begin with since it only created negative reactions.

If checks are so important to you, you can always play Swansong.

 

[The President]

You’ll get a video dev diary in two weeks and in January apparently a longer gameplay video. It’ll be hard to say what we’ll get dialogue tree wise until those two are seen.

 

[Child of Malkav]

My eyes...

If checks are so important to you, you can always play Swansong.

Spoiler that shit.

 

[Latelistener]

Now now, let us not scale to their level. IF they know they can't do dialogue checks well, they shouldn't be making any RPG, much less VTMB2. But that stil remains to be determined.

I wouldn't hold that against them. Most* RPGs don't have super-compelling dialogue checks and this includes Bloodlines itself. A lot of people (me included) still like having them though. As long as they're not "You're a computer" stupid.


Also, for fun, here's a bunch of screenshots I had already taken of Bloodlines dialogue with checkless or limited dialogue options to remember it as it was and not the game in one's head.

Spoiler

Its strength lies in seven playable clans though, with its peak as Malkavian, Nosferatu and Tremere.

Interactions with your primogen, plus your own unique powers is what makes it worthwhile.

 

[Wesp5]

(Or did you mean the new Bloodlines? Nonetheless, if they have skill checks, why not show them in the video about dialogues and narrative?)

Because they don't really have anything to show (they told us about the narrative reactivity to clothing but couldn't show us) and they really shouldn't have shown those two obviously unfinished scenes to begin with since it only created negative reactions.

If checks are so important to you, you can always play Swansong.

The problem is that TCR choose to show these scenes first which had little choices and also the whole conversation looked like Swansong except for the internal mechanims which they better hide like Bloodlines.

 

[sosmoflux]

"Whoa, did I just do that?"
" I just sucked a guy's neck with my freakin' fangs!"
"There's a werewolf behind me, isn't there"

 

[The President]

The four playable clans will almost assuredly be Ventrue, Toreador, Tremere, and Brujah.

 

[Roguey]

The four playable clans will almost assuredly be Ventrue, Toreador, Tremere, and Brujah.

They promised "surprises" so I expect at least one will be a clan that wasn't in the first one.

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

"Whoa, did I just do that?"
" I just sucked a guy's neck with my freakin' fangs!"
"There's a werewolf behind me, isn't there"

 

[Bulo]

So at this point it's all but confirmed that this game is going to be yet another case of soyboys and women taking something that used to be cool and deforming it into a grotesque effigy they'll burn to own straight white gamers

You say that as if the first game didn't have LGBT representation too

Spoiler

 

[NecroLord]

The four playable clans will almost assuredly be Ventrue, Toreador, Tremere, and Brujah.

Tremere - pretentious cunts
Brujah - sick of those punks, they are nothing but a bunch of BLM activists, far from the warrior philosophers they were in the ancient days and the Dark Ages.
I rather would have preferred Malks and Nosferatu.

 

[ColaWerewolf]

Its strength lies in seven playable clans though, with its peak as Malkavian, Nosferatu and Tremere.

Interactions with your primogen, plus your own unique powers is what makes it worthwhile.

Joking aside, there is no way this is the general consensus, surely.

Nosferatu has one added line of dialogue at the start of each npc's intro, then defaults back to normal dialogue even when it actually contradicts their opening reaction.
Same with Malkavian, but at least not as jarring as with the Nosferatu.
The Tremere get one unique player house that you only go in to check the mail.

I'm not even going to touch the "Interactions with your primogen" because it's low hanging fruit.

They promised "surprises" so I expect at least one will be a clan that wasn't in the first one.

Banu Haqim/Assamite seems like a nobrainer to me. Turkic main character and we've seen both blood sorcery and celerity being used--they already have 2/3rds of Assamite Disciplines in the game, and I doubt they won't include something as iconic as Obfuscate as well.

 

[Tyranicon]

HS at least had decency to show dialogue checks.

And how do you know TCR doesn't?

Why didn't TCR show them in their video then? Such important part of RPG writing and they don't highlight it in their PR talk about «Narrative & RPG Stream»?

When the dev in the video is asked about how players will be able to customize their narrative experience, he doesn't outright answer that «you will have dialogue choices based on your clan and stats», instead giving some evasive non-answer. The only thing even related to character development mentioned is clans, with no additional info.

I of course, hope I'm wrong, but this is just another red flag.

I would probably rate the stream as a disaster. It built the opposite of hype. The little gameplay that was shown was bad.

Now this could be for any number of reasons, ranging from laziness to not understanding what the game's core audience wants to see. I've been there.

Or it could be that those sections were the best they have to show at the moment, which is worrying.

I want this game to succeed because of personal financial reasons, but at this point it's basically a red flag storage zone.

 

[Skinwalker]

Why couldn't this just stay dead? I have never been more disheartened by a game sequel than right after watching this trailer. Amazon "LotR" rapefest-tier awful.

 

[Cricket McBangle]

(Or did you mean the new Bloodlines? Nonetheless, if they have skill checks, why not show them in the video about dialogues and narrative?)

Because they don't really have anything to show (they told us about the narrative reactivity to clothing but couldn't show us) and they really shouldn't have shown those two obviously unfinished scenes to begin with since it only created negative reactions.

If checks are so important to you, you can always play Swansong.

The problem is that TCR choose to show these scenes first which had little choices and also the whole conversation looked like Swansong except for the internal mechanims which they better hide like Bloodlines.

Looks like Paradox has a real dumpster Phyre on their hands

 

[Grunker]

Codex after HSL: we didn't know how good we had it bros...

who is saying this

 

[Cricket McBangle]

They promised "surprises" so I expect at least one will be a clan that wasn't in the first one.

Banu Haqim/Assamite seems like a nobrainer to me. Turkic main character and we've seen both blood sorcery and celerity being used--they already have 2/3rds of Assamite Disciplines in the game, and I doubt they won't include something as iconic as Obfuscate as well.

Dying Light 2 has Banu Haqim DLC. And that shitty VR game that came out has you play as a Banu Haqim. They're probably in

 

[RagingNomad]

They promised "surprises" so I expect at least one will be a clan that wasn't in the first one.

Banu Haqim/Assamite seems like a nobrainer to me. Turkic main character and we've seen both blood sorcery and celerity being used--they already have 2/3rds of Assamite Disciplines in the game, and I doubt they won't include something as iconic as Obfuscate as well.

Dying Light 2 has Banu Haqim DLC. And that shitty VR game that came out has you play as a Banu Haqim. They're probably in

Shitty? Really? Right now I finished it, and that game is awesome. Fine atmosphere, style and plot. What's wrong with you?

 

[RagingNomad]

Its strength lies in seven playable clans though, with its peak as Malkavian, Nosferatu and Tremere.

Interactions with your primogen, plus your own unique powers is what makes it worthwhile.

Joking aside, there is no way this is the general consensus, surely.

Nosferatu has one added line of dialogue at the start of each npc's intro, then defaults back to normal dialogue even when it actually contradicts their opening reaction.
Same with Malkavian, but at least not as jarring as with the Nosferatu.
The Tremere get one unique player house that you only go in to check the mail.

I'm not even going to touch the "Interactions with your primogen" because it's low hanging fruit.

It's good that at least someone understands that VtMB actually doesn't have any serious differences between clans. And more of that, there is no actually choices that influence on you main story. After all you just choose an option from all available options, regardless of previous choices.

 

[NecroLord]

VtMB actually doesn't have any serious differences between clans.

Huh?

 

[Child of Malkav]

who is saying this

It's implied.