Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines: 2 - I want to believe, but...

[Michael Wade]

These stupid vampires. I swear they cant get anything done on time. They got clocks set back to the 1800s . I'm working with SAD to get all these illegals bloodsuckers and bats out of this great nation in record speeds and restore our dignity.

 

[Snekposter]

These stupid vampires. I swear they cant get anything done on time. They got clocks set back to the 1800s . I'm working with SAD to get all these illegals bloodsuckers and bats out of this great nation in record speeds and restore our dignity.
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"The Camarilla isn't sending us their best."

 

[Paradox Mystic]

"The Camarilla isn't sending us their best."

There is a sidepanel in the Midnight Siege book that says the Camarilla is responsible for racial profiling because some Camarilla members did the math and found non-whites are slightly more likely to be Sabbat.

 

[TrainWreckWatcher]

Tranny drama on Steam.

Someone got banned for asking which of the manly characters is male and which one is female.
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I can't tell either. I honestly thought it was the one on the left... cause it looks like it may have boobs but apparently thats the guy.

 

[regalterry]

Imagine being a vampire, an immortal, powerful monster with infinite time on your hand, with the ability and duty to pick the best humanity has to offer to be your "kin", meant to prey on humanity using his or her charm and charisma, and you decide to turn someone that looks like a parody of a butch lesbian.

 

[Sinner's Sandwich]

For me it looks like 2 men. That's what happens when you let mentally ill gender cultists work on your game. It turns into rancid gender cult trash. These people are worthless and talentless.

 

[Love Is Blue]

There is a sidepanel in the Midnight Siege book that says the Camarilla is responsible for racial profiling because some Camarilla members did the math and found non-whites are slightly more likely to be Sabbat.

"despite being 13% of kindred Brujah make up for 50% of masquerade violations"

 

[The handsome tard]

 

[00R-Gundam]

It still bothers me that they chose an antidiluvian vampire as the MC instead of just doing as they did in the first game. You get turned and you get to see vampire life/society through the eyes of someone new.

As much as im morbidly curious of how much they are gonna fuck it up, i wouldnt blame them if they cancelled the game.

 

[WonderWino]

Imagine being a vampire, an immortal, powerful monster with infinite time on your hand, with the ability and duty to pick the best humanity has to offer to be your "kin", meant to prey on humanity using his or her charm and charisma, and you decide to turn someone that looks like a parody of a butch lesbian.

It could be worse, at least there isn't a clan with a clan curse that makes everybody they turn look like a butch biker lesbian. Like an even more horrifying version of the nosferatu clan curse

 

[regalterry]

It still bothers me that they chose an antidiluvian vampire as the MC instead of just doing as they did in the first game.

The original pitch of being a thin blood was even more retarded.

Not that either premise actually works within the lore - you were either going to be the vampire equivalent of vermin, and now you're going to be an eldritch lich being forced to do basic bitch work for "reasons".

For the life of me I can't understand why they had to overcomplicate things, just let the player be a neonate of a nebulous generation and call it a day.

Hell, I would have settled for less Clans to pick from, if they had been fleshed out properly, since the original game did suffer from a lot of overlap in that regard.

It could be worse, at least there isn't a clan with a clan curse that makes everybody they turn look like a butch biker lesbian. Like an even more horrifying version of the nosferatu clan curse

I so wish Chechens had gone through with their threats.

 

[The handsome tard]

It still bothers me that they chose an antidiluvian vampire as the MC instead of just doing as they did in the first game. You get turned and you get to see vampire life/society through the eyes of someone new.

As much as im morbidly curious of how much they are gonna fuck it up, i wouldnt blame them if they cancelled the game.

This game is peak example of the sunken cost policy. It has been in dev. hell for years and for all intends and purposes, it SHOULD be cancelled but corporations and execs are ruled by the mentality that they spent money on this so they should see it through even if it brings only a bit of profit on the short term (that will mostly be for them).

There is also some legality getting in the way Im sure.

 

[Pentex]

Dev Diary #25: Advanced Combat and Weapons​

Spoiler: World of Darkness

https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/news/dev-diary-advanced-combat-and-weapons

Hello Kindred,
It’s been about a year since we last talked about combat in Dev Diary 7, so the team have put this article together to give you a deeper dive into the things you can do as you go bump in the night.

Brawling​

When blades come out in BL2, unless you've taken extra care to isolate your prey, you're going to be outnumbered. While several discipline abilities can help you escape or swiftly resolve a fight, you'll need to do a bit of brawling when those options aren't available. Spacing is key - your basic attacks can make short work of individuals but are risky when you're getting sliced apart from all sides.

The basic attacks get used a lot, so during their development, I was keen to make time to give each clan their own set. Banu is sharp and fast, Ventrue firm and precise, Tremere has a bit more reach to let you maintain distance, and Brujah, well, punches stuff. It’s a small thing, but I found it really helped people get into the attitude and poise of their current clan.
Dashing is an ability Phyre can use regardless of clan and is critical for maintaining distance. It can even be used aggressively - dashing forwards into a strike right as it hits will break your opponent's guard and leave them open for a counterattack, though this is best suited for one-on-one situations.
Description: In-game video of every Clan’s attack animation set

Kicks are another useful tool and are great for handling groups - done by attacking straight after a dash, you can pick which type you use with your movement direction. A big swinging roundhouse can stumble a large group but won't create much space - whereas a backkick can send a single enemy soaring away. Both you and your opponents will be able to resist attacks used repeatedly, so you'll want to mix things up a bit to stay on top.
Description: In-game video of Phyre placing a well-timed counter which leaves enemies open to attack

While kicks are great for getting opponents away from you, telekinesis is perfect for bringing them close. You can use it to yank a chosen target in for a follow-up or a feed, though consider that Kindred and their ghouls may be expecting this.
Telekinesis can also earn a quick kill when used to pull an unsuspecting enemy near the edge of a rooftop, causing them to fall to their death on the street below.
Description: In-game video of Phyre using telekinesis to pull an unaware enemy into feeding range

Breakable objects, like bottles and ashtrays, can be grabbed using telekinesis and then thrown to create a noise, distracting enemies. If you really want to create a bang, pick up and throw an explosive, such as a gas tank – a good way to hurt several enemies at once.
Telekinesis can also be used to pick up weapons from the dead, from knives to sniper rifles. A goal of Phyre’s combat design was to be fast and fluid, so we incorporated the use of Telekinesis with weapon use to maintain speed and flow – you can kill one opponent, dump their gun’s magazine into a second, and toss it at a third to open them up for your next attack.
Description: In-game video of Phyre throwing an explosive gas tank to kill enemies

This can be even more useful when used in tandem with discipline abilities. For example, Tremere's explosive blood curse can be triggered from a distance with a well-placed shot, and Brujah's taunt (when used with mass manipulation) can encourage a whole team of opponents to drop their weapons, allowing you to turn them on their owners.
Description: In-game video of enemies dropping their weapons when Mass Manipulation is combined with Taunt

And, of course, the bigger they come, the harder they fall- When fighting enemies equipped with explosives, telekinesis can lead to an even more devastating turnabout.
- Senior Game Designer Max Bottomley
Description: In-game video of Phyre throwing back explosive bolts

​

Elixirs​

Our setting of Seattle features a large population of Thin-bloods: weaker vampires who use alchemy to create powerful “elixirs” that give access to the vampiric powers they otherwise could not. As you explore, you can find and collect these elixirs to give you an edge in combat or help level the playing field in a difficult boss encounter.

The four elixirs Phyre can use are:

• Mending Elixir – Instantly restores health, allowing you to avoid final death.
• Blood Elixir – Instantly restores blood pips for your abilities, great for continuing ability combo chains.
• Potence Elixir – Temporarily boosts your strength, increasing the damage caused by your attacks.
• Fortitude Elixir – Temporarily turns your skin to marble, reducing the damage you take from attacks.

Description: In-game video of Phyre using a Potence Elixir

​

Ability Combos​

Having recently started a playthrough to test out my favourite Clan Tremere, I’ve enjoyed the sense of space control a well-planned fight can give you. Starting out by placing Recall up high so that I can teleport away if it gets out of hand.
Later in the game, mixing Disciplines from different Clans can make fighting more powerful Kindred much easier. There are a lot of useful combinations that Ventrue’s Mass Manipulation can provide to manage many combatants at once. The effect of Banu Haqim’s Mute on a group can make sure the battle will go unnoticed by nearby enemies. And it’s not just your own powers but the environment that you’ll have to observe, helping you find tools that are left lying around.
Not all enemies will go down that easily, and I’m really excited for you all to learn how much trouble you’ll be in when you face off against your first Kindred foe. Their powers can quickly make well-planned fights go wrong if you’re knocked over and surrounded.

Using Cauldron of Blood to draw everyone to the screaming victim and then picking one of them to explode with Blood Curse can blast a lot of the crowd away before I even get close to the fighting. And when it does go wrong, as it always will eventually, a quick Blood Curse on the ghoul chasing you can serve as a very handy projectile if you kick them into the people behind them.
Description: In-game video of Phyre triggering the Blood Curse put on an enemy with a thrown bottle

Nobody’s invulnerable to an exploding gas bottle telekinetically thrown at their head, and they’re easier to aim at when you’ve locked them in place with Mass Manipulation. If everything else fails then you can just use Possession on a ghoul and make them jump somewhere nobody will notice them…
Description: In-game video of Phyre possessing an enemy and then controlling them to jump off a roof.
- Josh Mathews, TCR Community Manager

​

Difficulty Settings​

While difficulty settings are a standard feature for action RPGs, we thought we’d mention that they are included because we recognise our audience's varied preferences for challenges and strive to accommodate them with carefully designed difficulty settings.
For players primarily interested in narrative and exploration, Easy mode ensures a smooth experience by making combat encounters more manageable.
Normal mode represents the intended balance of the game, challenging players to adapt and use a mix of stealth, combat, abilities, and elixirs to succeed.
For those seeking a more formidable challenge, Hard mode delivers an Elder Vampire experience, demanding mastery of all your skills and strategies.
- Project Design Director Jey Hicks

Somebody save me from this nightmare.
They have red vials and blue vials in a VtM game.
V5 was a mistake. Thin-bloods were a mistake.
You will never convince me otherwise.

 

[Adamska]

There's a reason I always fucking detested what they did with thin bloods, and nice to see Chinese Room agrees with the LARPing trash from Renegade Games and Sweden on liking this god awful change. Nice to see others realize just how fucking bullshit their alchemy is. It's even worse when you remember they have the power to mimic all other disciplines one dot lower than their rank and shit out UV blasts with their blood too.

 

[lizardwizard]

It could be worse, at least there isn't a clan with a clan curse that makes everybody they turn look like a butch biker lesbian. Like an even more horrifying version of the nosferatu clan curse

so clan brujah?

 

[Übertroon]

Dev Diary #25: Advanced Combat and Weapons

Now I haven't been following development of this game much, but I'm getting the notion that they're making an action game instead of a RPG

 

[FuckMeGentlyWithAChainsaw]

Now I haven't been following development of this game much, but I'm getting the notion that they're making an action game instead of a RPG

As per Paradox's deputy chief executive officer Mattias Lilja:

it's going to be an action-RPG in the World Of Darkness.

we want to clarify that we're making a spiritual successor, not an actual same blueprint type of game, so people don't get disappointed and feel cheated.

we want them to understand that this is an action RPG with a storyline that is more fixed. It's not the open sim it maybe shouldn't be compared to.

Bloodlines 1 [...] is a good game, but it is also an old game, and there are many things that would not fly today [...] But I think people [...] if they replayed it, I think they would see that it's a competently good game by 2004 standards.

We do expect it to recover its investment.

Trigger warning for RockPaperShotgun

 

[WonderWino]

so clan brujah?

Ok well played

We do expect it to recover its investment.

Somehow I doubt thats going to happen. The whole thing has been a shitshow from the start and everyone knows it. They should absolutely be expecting a commercial failure and plan for it

 

[p1138]

Somehow I doubt thats going to happen. The whole thing has been a shitshow from the start and everyone knows it. They should absolutely be expecting a commercial failure and plan for it

Obviously, but it's not like they can publicly say that. They've already made enough statements regarding never wanting to bother with a third unless someone else wants to license and develop it.

 

[TrainWreckWatcher]

Imagine being a vampire, an immortal, powerful monster with infinite time on your hand, with the ability and duty to pick the best humanity has to offer to be your "kin", meant to prey on humanity using his or her charm and charisma, and you decide to turn someone that looks like a parody of a butch lesbian.

100% would do this but make them into the lowest of low thralls for my own entertainment.