Here I am with yet another oldie but goodie RPG for all of you. If you like nostalgia or you somehow missed this title I urge you to give it a shot.
What is it?
Basically, one of the best RPGs ever made. You play as a vampire in modern days. The game is semi-sandbox as you're offered a lot of freedom in your movement, there are lots of optional side quests etc. The story is pretty good and the game itself is very well made and immersive.
What's so great about it?
The feel of the game is amazing. You should note, however, that it is aimed at mature audience, with a lot of violence, nudity (not total nudity but definitely NSFW), foul language and so on, it has 18+ on the box. One of the things I love the most about this game is that you can do everything in several different ways there: you can brute force your way through problems, talk your way through them or use stealth and guile to tackle the problem (or any mixture of those). The characters are really cool, dialogue is great and the game doesn't get boring quickly and has pretty high replay value as each clan (there are 7 to choose from) has different strengths and weaknesses and requires a different approach (Nosferatu and Malkavians are so different that you're basically playing a completely different game here, not recommended for 1st playthrough).
What do I need?
A copy of the original VtMB (steam version available too) and patches:
If you complete the game (possibly several times) and want some more then go ahead and grab either the Camarilla Edition or Final Nights mods (available on the same site). Note: They only require patch 1.2 so you'll have to re-install the game.
There are other mods available too if you want to try things out, but these 2 are the best out there and change the game completely.
The game works fine under Windows 7 64-bit, no tweaks required (although unofficial patch has widescreen fix included, which is recommended). You may have problem with developer videos being black but that's no biggie, just click and you go to the menu. All of the in-game cut-scenes are made using game engine so no trouble there.
Yeah this game went by largely unnoticed on release because of some glaring graphics issues and little bugs. I actually bought it early but gave up within 20 minutes because it just felt like a poorly made game and In couldn’t get into it.
Then the patches came. I’m not sure where along the line the patches started to turn it into such an amazing game, if it was the official or unofficial patches, but if you get the latest unofficial patch it’s just an incredible game. The difference in atmosphere and immersion compared to how it was at release is just mind-blowing.
I believe the biggest issue at realease was the fact that the game wouldn't load the nex hub if you wanted to go there (there were some obscure workaround like typing special commands into console to load it etc.). I guess it turned quite a few people away from the game. Right now it's pretty much flawless.
@ Cel.erity: We're not talking about pen & paper version here
This game is awesome for us that like RPGs where you get to talk to people and do other stuff instead of just clear 100s of random dungeons (TES games).
Anyone who liked DE3 needs to PLAY THIS IMMEDIATELY. Anyone who values storytelling, characterization, intelligent writing, role playing, and gameplay will like this game. Every playthrough will be completely different, from the way the world interacts with different vampire houses to the vast customization and sidequests you can perform.
Truly a great RPG that rivals Deus Ex (and surpasses in many ways) as the absolute best in the genre.
VtMB is so good. It has some of the most solid dialogue and voice acting in any game I have played. It just blows triple A titles out of the water. User made patches give the game the polish the developers never had the chance to give it and mods extend its already considerable life. To me at least, it goes up there with Half Life 2 and Deus Ex.
Fun game. Haunted house level scared the shit out of me when i played through it. However the loading times drove me mad and I ended up losing interest. Maybe I should give it another try
Such an amazing amazing game. The first act is one of the best RPG experiences I've had. Unfortunately the last 2 acts are pretty uninteresting compared to the first 2.
White Wolf did such a great job creating the whole World of Darkness system. The only problem with games like these is that I'm left with such a high level of expectation it is hard to please me.
This is my favorite RPG, probably the best experience with video games I have had so far. The mechanics in this game are something I wish I could find in more RPGs. I highly recommend playing with the Camarilla Edition mod which makes some of the game mechanics much deeper and enjoyable imo.
Want thing the op didn't mention is that you only get Experience for solving quests, not for killing enemies which makes stealth and negotiation actually viable in many parts of the game.
Sadly i felt that the the first half of the game was much better than the second half. The "scary" factor (haunted house ^^) just kind of goes away as your character gets so powerful that you feel that you can kill whatever comes your way anyway.
But it is a great game anyway and if you like RPGs with a good story that are made for adults, then you should definitely try this one out.
There are also some really good mods for this and if you install a high-res texture pack, the graphics are actually still pretty decent (similar to half life 2), if that is important for you.
I love this game, I've probably put close to 100 hours in play time towards it. Sure it had some mechanic related issues, but I don't think there has been a game to date to draw this type of atmosphere in such a brilliant way. I hope CCP can live up to VTMB with World of Darkness.
o0 This game was so buggy but just such an amazing experience, the characters were great and the different endings were pretty good. Also you're all forgetting one of the best parts
Seriously could just listened to the deb of night for hours was so funny.
On November 23 2011 20:06 Sensator wrote: I love this game, I've probably put close to 100 hours in play time towards it. Sure it had some mechanic related issues, but I don't think there has been a game to date to draw this type of atmosphere in such a brilliant way. I hope CCP can live up to VTMB with World of Darkness.
World of Darkness production has pretty much been halted. They layed off a whole bunch of the team and transferred a bunch back to eve online. And arch, CCP is the company that produced eve online.
As far as this game, I could never get into it. It seems so overwhelming when I first tried it. Kind of like X3: Terran Conflict if you ever got into that. It seemed complicated, I didnt know what was good what wasnt, how to start. Never actually got into playing the game. Anyone know of any good tutorials?
On November 23 2011 20:40 Phayze wrote: World of Darkness production has pretty much been halted. They layed off a whole bunch of the team and transferred a bunch back to eve online. And arch, CCP is the company that produced eve online.
As far as this game, I could never get into it. It seems so overwhelming when I first tried it. Kind of like X3: Terran Conflict if you ever got into that. It seemed complicated, I didnt know what was good what wasnt, how to start. Never actually got into playing the game. Anyone know of any good tutorials?
Ah, OK. I never played Eve :D
And as a person that also tried to play X3 and played Bloodlines X3 is 10x more complicated to learn and get into.
Just adding my voice to this, truly a unique and masterful story-driven RPG experience. The ending blew my mind.
As I say in every post recommending this game, make sure you get the unofficial fan patch. It's pretty much a necessity.
Also may I add, this is the most interesting and engrossing vampire lore/world ever created. Everything is so thought out and intelligently structured with regards to the different vampire houses, the political factions and the interplay between figures in the underworld. In fact after playing this game I downloaded some of the rulesets for the pen and paper game simply because it offered more background to the different houses and bloodines and how they developed.
This world blows away any other vampire world including Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries etc etc. This is the real deal, folks. Vampire lore at its finest.
On November 23 2011 20:58 Zoundsforsook wrote: I had never heard much about this game, but after reading the OP and some of the soundtrack I am downloading it and the patches now
looking forward to it!
Ahaha, we're poppin' the cherry here!
Be sure to answer 'I could use some help' to Jack in the beginning. Tutorial is pretty fun (one of the best tutorials ever) and gives you some xp at the end.
On November 23 2011 20:58 Zoundsforsook wrote: I had never heard much about this game, but after reading the OP and some of the soundtrack I am downloading it and the patches now
looking forward to it!
Ahaha, we're poppin' the cherry here!
Be sure to answer 'I could use some help' to Jack in the beginning. Tutorial is pretty fun (one of the best tutorials ever) and gives you some xp at the end.
I played it on release, the bugs and stuff annoyed me, the haunted house level scared the bajeezus out of me, I haven't touched it since.
Having read this, at some point in the next couple of weeks I think I definately need to install with the patches to give this game some real loving. Am a real World of Darkness fan.
not a bad game. Never considered it a classic seeing as it came out relatively recently in my life time and quite a lot of the game is clunky and badly made. But I will probably replay some time...been meaning to re play sid meier's PIRATES! as well...so perhaps will put it on the list. I personally think that you think too much of this game, but I guess there isn't much competition as far as 3D vampire RPGs go.
I picked this up on Steam sale not long ago. I remember playing this (or another VtM game?) before, a long long time ago. I don't remember much of it though. I remember there being a hospital where I could buy blood if I didn't want to "take" it. I snuck in and stole blood if I remember correctly.
Will try it again once I'm done with Skyrim.
I'm a big fan of the old VtM-setting too so I've got expectations.
On November 23 2011 22:13 Cuddle wrote: I picked this up on Steam sale not long ago. I remember playing this (or another VtM game?) before, a long long time ago. I don't remember much of it though. I remember there being a hospital where I could buy blood if I didn't want to "take" it. I snuck in and stole blood if I remember correctly.
Will try it again once I'm done with Skyrim.
I'm a big fan of the old VtM-setting too so I've got expectations.
Yes, that's this game. There is also VtM:Redemption, or something like that, which is older, more traditional with a Party System, and far less good.
On November 24 2011 01:10 Sated wrote: Malkavians are by far the most fun to play, if you're considering getting into this for the first time.
Yeah looking at a wiki with all the stats for each clan, and was going to choose that for first playthrough even though OP said not recommended for first playthrough.
The wiki says all advantages and disadvantages of the clans and for Malkavian disadvantages it says "Disadvantage: Insanity - unique dialogue and gameplay". Sounds like an advantage to me!
Actually don't play Malkavian on your first playthrough they're madness tends to give spoilers. If anyone is having problems with patches or anything go to the vtm steam or gamebanshee forums and ask wesp he's the guy that patches and mods the game.
yep malkavian is awesome on the second playthrough. But since they know the future its a bit spoilerish yes. But never played someone that psycho. And the story was really mind blowing, but yeah bugs in the beginning killed it from becoming famous. Only can recommend this game for story maniacs. Especially since you want to play through it several time. But yeah need the patched versions to make it run properly
On November 24 2011 01:33 Canola wrote: Hmm spoilers are no fun... maybe Tremere then. How useful is research?
You should go with Gangrel or Brujah 1st time, but malkavians are ok, they actually dont give too much spoilers, mostly just hints and you probably wont understand shit they are talking about until it actually happens so its fun. If u want a normal game pick any except malk,nosferatu... or u can let the game pick for you by choosing to answer the questions at the beginning
On November 24 2011 01:33 Canola wrote: Hmm spoilers are no fun... maybe Tremere then. How useful is research?
You should go with Gangrel or Brujah 1st time, but malkavians are ok, they actually dont give too much spoilers, mostly just hints and you probably wont understand shit they are talking about until it actually happens so its fun. If u want a normal game pick any except malk,nosferatu... or u can let the game pick for you by choosing to answer the questions at the beginning
An example of Malkavian spoilers from early in the game:
As a Malkavian, you greet Jeanette and Therese as "Daughter of Janus" and make reference to "Light Daughter" and "Dark Daughter" respectively. You find later she has a split personality (she is Malkavian) and is both. Janus was the 2 faced Roman god, so it's pretty obscure, but you get what it means in retrospect.
Nosferatu is the hardest to play because you can't really talk to anyone who isn't "clued in" so it shuts down a whole bunch of sidequests and makes it difficult to travel through the overworld areas without attracting the wrong kind of attention (you have to use the sewers mostly).
On November 24 2011 01:25 Seri wrote: Actually don't play Malkavian on your first playthrough they're madness tends to give spoilers. If anyone is having problems with patches or anything go to the vtm steam or gamebanshee forums and ask wesp he's the guy that patches and mods the game.
My first playthrough was with Malk and although they throw in spoilers, you're not aware of them at the time(unless it's your second play through). Any clues that are given are out of context and cryptic so you can't tell if it's an actual spoiler or just the insanity.
From my own experience, it was only after having reached a certain part of the storyline did I learn that what my character said had actual truth. And after that, I found myself trying to split the truth from the insanity.
I would say Malkavian as a second run through has less impact because you are already aware of storyline elements. Pretty much true for any second run through but more so for Malk because of the insanity element.
On November 24 2011 02:32 R!! wrote: I never do re-runs in any game so I chose the bloodline that fit me best i.e overpowered thaumathurgy users, had a blast, really awesome game.
Let's be honest here, the most OP thing in the game is the obfuscate stealth-kill runthrough.
You can even get all the stealth bonuses
Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
Played through this as a bloodmage(tremere?) ages ago. One of the best atmospheres in RPGs ever! I really chickened a lot though. That one time when I met: + Show Spoiler +
some really creepy vampire chick who ate human flesh... UGHH o_o
I think the feel of the game and the story are top notch but it lacks in the combat department. Personally blasting everything with spells was the most fun :3
On November 24 2011 02:34 deth2munkies wrote: Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
Interesting. That probably will save me some grief as I was considering a build that went for that. Though I'm getting the impression that combat skills in general are less favoured in this game than dialogue/infiltration type skills.
Can anyone comment on the usefulness of the research skill?
On November 24 2011 02:32 R!! wrote: I never do re-runs in any game so I chose the bloodline that fit me best i.e overpowered thaumathurgy users, had a blast, really awesome game.
Let's be honest here, the most OP thing in the game is the obfuscate stealth-kill runthrough.
You can even get all the stealth bonuses
Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
If you are using the unofficial patch (which i strongly recommend) you can play with ranged weapons quite well. It was buffed in the patches and i played my 4th play-through with guns without any problems. Then again there are much more fun and interesting ways .
I have never put points into research unless it was to get higher persuasion, nor have I ever felt I needed to get extra stat boosts from books. If you do all the sidequests you can find you can max a well rounded mix of combat and social traits. Good advice is to never spend all your points right away unless you are maxing disciplines, which is what I recommend you do first. Pick two disciplines and max them gradually, say, rank 4 by the time you finish the second hub. Overall, keeping a pool of xp points floating is a good idea. You won't be underpowered at all.
On November 24 2011 02:32 R!! wrote: I never do re-runs in any game so I chose the bloodline that fit me best i.e overpowered thaumathurgy users, had a blast, really awesome game.
Let's be honest here, the most OP thing in the game is the obfuscate stealth-kill runthrough.
You can even get all the stealth bonuses
Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
I don't think this is entirely true. I've played through as a primary ranged user just fine. It's certainly not as good as physical (plus buying guns and ammo sucks), but they aren't unviable. You can pretty much get through the game any way you want to, as long as you are relatively smart about it.
Oh yeah, and in regards to the game: It's fucking amazing. I play through it yearly (5 times now). Can't wait for my Nosferatu playthrough next time! Nosferatu is the only bloodline I would recommend not playing as your first time. Malkavian was my first playthrough, and personally, I think it's best if you play it first. It won't be for everyone, however. Not knowing what you are even saying can be frustrating, and if you like to be in control you may get pissed off at the Malkavian style.
On November 24 2011 02:34 deth2munkies wrote: Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
Interesting. That probably will save me some grief as I was considering a build that went for that. Though I'm getting the impression that combat skills in general are less favoured in this game than dialogue/infiltration type skills.
Can anyone comment on the usefulness of the research skill?
Research is not useful at all...even hacking isn't that useful because all the passwords are static and relate to the characters/organizations whose computers they are, so you can make educated guesses, remember them from previous playthroughs, or just gamefaqs them.
Seduction followed by Intimidation are the 2 best conversation skills, melee weapon skills are very important (try to get a Fire Axe as quickly as possible as it's the best weapon in the game behind the special Katana).
Sharp weapons > Vampires and other fleshy monstrosities, Blunt weapons > Humans, stuff made of not-flesh. Everything not-human takes less damage from ranged weapons (the patch might change that, I just use the Steam patch that makes the game run fine).
Apart from that, I typically focus on the special bloodline skills, followed by melee attack, followed by conversation (seduction/intimidate).
Oh, and for reference: Lvl 3 Obfuscate (Malkavian and Nosferatu only I believe) lets you remain invisible while doing stealthkills, so as long as you have full blood, you can clear a room while remaining completely undetectable. For reference, the only storyline differences between male and female are the possibility of getting laid at different points, only the male run is much, much harder and you get a different story arc from the normal, whereas the female one is as easy as having a few points in seduction and walking away with an extra skill point and some XP.
That's about all I remember from a few years ago when I last did a playthrough, going to start my Malkavian run now that it's finished downloading.
Research is plenty useful as long as you don't cheat to look up passwords. Besides computer, getting up to 6 or 9 scholarship is pretty solid, as it gives you quite a few skill boosts.
Inspection is useless as long as you are thorough in exploration. Haggle is useless unless you are going ranged, in which case having some for buying ammo is helpful. Seduction is pretty much useless unless you want to roleplay a very smooth talker.
Just saw this on a lunch break, one of my favorite all time games. Ive played through it enough to probably not do so again but considering I rarely play through any game more than once, the fact I played through this game 4 times says a lot about it. Definitely need the patches to play it though, I might grab this and try it with the mods available but Im not sure yet. First I have to get bored with Skyrim and that won't be till after christmas at least. Good on the OP to create this thread, a game worth noting and being searchable!
This game was so awesome. I loved playing as an ugly ass Nosferatu, sneaking through sewers and ventilation shafts eating rats and dodging humans as much as possible.
Can't seem to get it working properly, the main screen and all the in game parts flash and disappear and reappear, similar to the disappearing walls, floors and faces in skyrim.
On November 24 2011 08:47 intothewhite wrote: Can't seem to get it working properly, the main screen and all the in game parts flash and disappear and reappear, similar to the disappearing walls, floors and faces in skyrim.
update your drivers and if you did that get a new graphics card
I installed the game years ago, uninstalled it after I was done. Now I want to re-install and it won't work! I'm on Windows Vista 64b (same computer as the first time). What happens is, the installer opens, the InstallShield window pops up, it starts loading and then it just disappears and that's all. I can never get past that. I've tried that custom 64-bit installer and it didn't make a lick of difference.
I'm guessing it's some kind of InstallShield bug? I tried searching for registry entries for VtmB stuff but there was nothing suspicious in there. I don't know what's going on!
On November 24 2011 00:53 r3dox wrote: tried playing this game using the 7.8 patch, i cant even get into any door in the tutorial?
Do you still have this problem? My brother had it too and I believe he fixed it, gotta ask him how.
I have this problem as well, I'm stuck in the alley, so any suggestions on how to fix it would be appreciated .
EDIT: Apparently all it took was some wiggling in front of the door, so the tutorial pop-up about the Use key could appear. After that, the use key will be, welll, usable (it's not the big theathre door, but the small door opposite to it).
That door doesn't open sometimes. It's really, REALLY picky about where you put the cursor, it took me 5 minutes to get it in precisely the right spot.
Also make sure you've turned away from jack so he disappears, or the door won't open.
On November 24 2011 10:56 deth2munkies wrote: That door doesn't open sometimes. It's really, REALLY picky about where you put the cursor, it took me 5 minutes to get it in precisely the right spot.
Also make sure you've turned away from jack so he disappears, or the door won't open.
Yeah, the only real flaw of this game is that sometimes you need to wiggle around a bit because the action hitboxes (for lack of better word) can be tricky at times. I guess I'm used to it after playing this game so much that I barely even notice it, but in the beginning it might be annoying.
On November 24 2011 10:56 deth2munkies wrote: That door doesn't open sometimes. It's really, REALLY picky about where you put the cursor, it took me 5 minutes to get it in precisely the right spot.
Also make sure you've turned away from jack so he disappears, or the door won't open.
Yeah, the only real flaw of this game is that sometimes you need to wiggle around a bit because the action hitboxes (for lack of better word) can be tricky at times. I guess I'm used to it after playing this game so much that I barely even notice it, but in the beginning it might be annoying.
I really really want to make a sex joke but I just cant. It's too.... obvious.
And on the ranged weapons being worthless: I disagree. You can be very effective in combat as a shooty Toreador (the best clan for this). Auspex + Celerity means you hit very hard and can turn on bullet time.
On November 24 2011 02:46 Andr3 wrote: Played through this as a bloodmage(tremere?) ages ago. One of the best atmospheres in RPGs ever! I really chickened a lot though. That one time when I met: + Show Spoiler +
some really creepy vampire chick who ate human flesh... UGHH o_o
I think the feel of the game and the story are top notch but it lacks in the combat department. Personally blasting everything with spells was the most fun :3
I got scared by the quest in the big abandoned hotel, especially + Show Spoiler +
when i got stuck in the kitchen and didnt know how to get out, until randomly the door bursted after i had hid in the elevator shaft for like 15 minutes to avoid the flying pans
I like the game, but theres so many choices that i keep dying on my first playthrough due to guns being super inaccurate and my character being really squishy as im having trouble placing all my points (I'm playing a female Toreador and concentrating on ranged combat + lockpicking + social skills).
On November 24 2011 02:32 R!! wrote: I never do re-runs in any game so I chose the bloodline that fit me best i.e overpowered thaumathurgy users, had a blast, really awesome game.
Let's be honest here, the most OP thing in the game is the obfuscate stealth-kill runthrough.
You can even get all the stealth bonuses
Oh one thing to people starting to play this game:
You will quickly learn that ranged weapons and all related skills are totally and completely useless, ignore them.
If you are using the unofficial patch (which i strongly recommend) you can play with ranged weapons quite well. It was buffed in the patches and i played my 4th play-through with guns without any problems. Then again there are much more fun and interesting ways .
You don't need the unofficial patch, I personally don't like it - patch 1.2 is enough and the game is better that way. You can grab the version that just contains bug fixes tho.
Ranged weapons are not that good in the beginning, later on they are the best weapons actually, the deagle is so good when you got some points in ranged weapons.
Vampire 2 is pretty much the best rpg ever and the second best single player game after System Shock 2 in my opinion, I had the fortune of being unaffected by major bugs while playing it and finished it like 15 times with different chars, genders and buids :D
On November 24 2011 02:46 Andr3 wrote: Played through this as a bloodmage(tremere?) ages ago. One of the best atmospheres in RPGs ever! I really chickened a lot though. That one time when I met: + Show Spoiler +
some really creepy vampire chick who ate human flesh... UGHH o_o
I think the feel of the game and the story are top notch but it lacks in the combat department. Personally blasting everything with spells was the most fun :3
I got scared by the quest in the big abandoned hotel, especially + Show Spoiler +
when i got stuck in the kitchen and didnt know how to get out, until randomly the door bursted after i had hid in the elevator shaft for like 15 minutes to avoid the flying pans
I like the game, but theres so many choices that i keep dying on my first playthrough due to guns being super inaccurate and my character being really squishy as im having trouble placing all my points (I'm playing a female Toreador and concentrating on ranged combat + lockpicking + social skills).
When you reach 8-9 in persuasion you're golden. At 9 there is no way you're going to fail your persuasion checks and you can avoid 90% of combat this way (basically only fighting the bosses and such). Also, in the beginning you should stick to melee. Ranged becomes better later in the game, where you have some skill in it and you get access to better guns. Or you can just install the armory mod and run around with bazooka
Just noticed something: When you go down to the beach for the first time there's a wolf watching you from the cliffs. Mind is blown. First time I've noticed that in years...
On November 25 2011 18:46 Manit0u wrote: Just noticed something: When you go down to the beach for the first time there's a wolf watching you from the cliffs. Mind is blown. First time I've noticed that in years...
A normal wolf? Probably that vampire scholar you meet a bit later
On November 25 2011 18:46 Manit0u wrote: Just noticed something: When you go down to the beach for the first time there's a wolf watching you from the cliffs. Mind is blown. First time I've noticed that in years...
What, really?
Damn it, now I have to install the game just to see this -.-
On November 25 2011 18:46 Manit0u wrote: Just noticed something: When you go down to the beach for the first time there's a wolf watching you from the cliffs. Mind is blown. First time I've noticed that in years...
What, really?
Damn it, now I have to install the game just to see this -.-
Yeah. When you get to the beach head left then take the stairs to the crimescene. Wolf will be on the cliff high up in front of you and will run away when you spot him.
I had problems at first getting this to run on win 7 64 bit. Everything was smooth after the unofficial patch and you can chose if you want to change balance too or just bugfixes. So if somethings not working try this out, I couldn't even start the game without it.
That's an amazing game. It's the Deus Ex of RPG more or less. I spent the next week after I bought it playing it to the end, and your post makes me want to play it once more.
Game is exceptional. I'm hanging for the MMO that's being made by CCP. I kinda wished they focused on New World of Darkness rather than Old World of Darkness but I'll take my Vampire fix either way.
On November 26 2011 01:11 Jarvs wrote: Game is exceptional. I'm hanging for the MMO that's being made by CCP. I kinda wished they focused on New World of Darkness rather than Old World of Darkness but I'll take my Vampire fix either way.
On November 26 2011 01:11 Jarvs wrote: Game is exceptional. I'm hanging for the MMO that's being made by CCP. I kinda wished they focused on New World of Darkness rather than Old World of Darkness but I'll take my Vampire fix either way.
I only hope it will be as good as Bloodlines. But in recent news i read that CCP released about 20% of their employees and they are more focusing on EVE and Dust 514. WoD will "continue development with a significantly reduced team." Hope it won't affect the game or the release date too much.
I love this game. It sucks that it never got a sequel, and how the later acts aren't nearly as good as santa monica... specially chinatown. :S But it's just awesome playing a nosferatu and sneaking through everything!
Regarding the MMO, some of their choices really worries me. MMOs aren't known for their freedom, and they're trying to push some really interesting yet dangerous stuff (like permadeath). Also the game will be played at night always, which is kinda annoying for me, I wish there was SOME daylight in a couple areas at least, so humans could be there and feel safe (for awhile) while also getting a different environment for once. When playing DCUO I really hated how gotham was always night, it feels really lame for me to see that on an MMO, but oh well.
Game is exceptional. I'm hanging for the MMO that's being made by CCP. I kinda wished they focused on New World of Darkness rather than Old World of Darkness but I'll take my Vampire fix either way.
Why would you say that? Old WoD is much better, has a lot more diversity, and it's the one everyone's familiar with...
In the normal game, is it possible to kill the werewolf at the tram? I recall spending like 20 minutes on a single try once, probably dealing like 5-6 times the damage I did to any other boss without killing it.
On November 26 2011 04:55 Yurie wrote: In the normal game, is it possible to kill the werewolf at the tram? I recall spending like 20 minutes on a single try once, probably dealing like 5-6 times the damage I did to any other boss without killing it.
Question: Is it possible to apply the patches to the Steam version of the game, or would I need to buy a physical copy of the game to use them? New copies are ~$60.
On November 24 2011 02:46 Andr3 wrote: Played through this as a bloodmage(tremere?) ages ago. One of the best atmospheres in RPGs ever! I really chickened a lot though. That one time when I met: + Show Spoiler +
some really creepy vampire chick who ate human flesh... UGHH o_o
I think the feel of the game and the story are top notch but it lacks in the combat department. Personally blasting everything with spells was the most fun :3
I got scared by the quest in the big abandoned hotel, especially + Show Spoiler +
when i got stuck in the kitchen and didnt know how to get out, until randomly the door bursted after i had hid in the elevator shaft for like 15 minutes to avoid the flying pans
I like the game, but theres so many choices that i keep dying on my first playthrough due to guns being super inaccurate and my character being really squishy as im having trouble placing all my points (I'm playing a female Toreador and concentrating on ranged combat + lockpicking + social skills).
Guns are good once you get:
a) A good enough skill that they don't wobble all over the place. b) A good gun.
In the early-game, though, you can usually get by using speech-based dialogue options and the like. I can't think of many early-game quests were you absolutely have to fight (especially not as a female Toreador).
EDIT:
Late in the game, guns like Assault Rifles are ridiculous if you have a high-enough ability to use them. The game basically becomes an FPS with occasional talking. I actually loved how hard the guns are for your character to use - a lot of game understate just how hard it is to fire a gun accurately if you've had no training. I doubt I could hold an Assault Rifle steady my first time of trying.
Thanks for the help!
So i should be putting tons of points in Seduction to get by quests without fighting? I'm helping Venus get this mafia boss off her ass + Show Spoiler +
literally
at the moment. I explored the hotel then saw a book named 'No Means No', i couldn't resist taking it and got jumped by 3 black suited men with automatic weapons making quick work of me then i rage quitted t_t
I loved starting the game with the malkavian, but some corrupted save error just stopped me from playing shortly after release. But somewhere i read about the patches (just checked the OP, thank you!). My question is if there is something else i should install aswell aside the patches on the OP ?
I am asking since the thread is quite old maybe there is something else interesting.
Nossies are annoying as fuck, though the patches fixed a lot of pathing errors and random sneak fails which made the clan almost unplayable in the vanilla version. I'm doing a speedrun atm, trying to beat the whole thing with no kills outside of combat zones, no skipping side quests, perfect humanity and masquerade scores, as quickly as I can.
It's weird, I fucking love the first 80%, then it turns to shit because the devs ran out of time and money and just made you kill 500 dudes over and over. Major shame.
Yeah the game is pretty obviously the victim of a forced early release. It was basically broken until the fifth or sixth edition of the fan patches. So much potential, I really wish some more stable developer with more resources would pick up the IP and make something with it. The world is amazing, the lore is so rich and diverse.
CCP owns Vampire rights. They were making Vampire MMO, but after Eve Online didn't earn as much money as it once did they cut it. For now there is nothing coming out for this interesting world (except books for pen and paper).
Yeah I figured. I can't imagine that CCP would be averse to selling the IP something fronted them a decent wad of cash though. Just seems no one can be arsed. If there was ever a crowdsourcing project worth funding, it would be that.
I think CCP bought the whole company White Wolf that made the setting if I am remembering right.
And there was a fan project where a group of Bloodlines modders were planning to redo Bloodlines in a more modern engine (Unreal 4 I think) and give it for free but CCP recently killed that as well
I wish Troika was still around. All their games have been masterpieces riddled with bugs, which the community patches have fixed..
Project Vaulderie really did look promising. I doubt there's gonna be a game set in WoD setting in a long time, there's also the question of a worthy developer. Most people who worked on Bloodlines are at Obsidian iirc.
It truly is one of the best RPGs ever made! Thank to unofficial patches it still kicks ass and is just amazing. Who hasn't played - I wholeheartedly recommend you do it - NOW!
Recently got it with CD-Action, have not installed yet. Are there any comparisons with VtM: Redemption, as that seems to be the only game from the universum I have played.
On May 02 2015 05:35 McRatyn wrote: Recently got it with CD-Action, have not installed yet. Are there any comparisons with VtM: Redemption, as that seems to be the only game from the universum I have played.
The comparison? It's nothing like it
The only thing those games have in common is that they're both based on the World of Darkness. Redemption is based on the Vampire: Dark Ages and Bloodlines is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade.
On May 02 2015 05:35 McRatyn wrote: Recently got it with CD-Action, have not installed yet. Are there any comparisons with VtM: Redemption, as that seems to be the only game from the universum I have played.
Bloodlines is a much superior game, although Redemption was not a bad game if you like team RPGs.
Just reinstalled this yesterday . Fucking Ghost Hotel has to be one of the best designed „spooky“ levels ever. The atmosphere of this game in general is so friggin well done.
Started Toreador…. Remembered at the beachhouse how bad combat is in this game (and Toreadors on top of that suck at it)… Went back for easymode Tremere (that AE-Stun) and now i’m in act 2 and can’t wait to play on :D.
On May 04 2015 15:35 Velr wrote: Just reinstalled this yesterday . Fucking Ghost Hotel has to be one of the best designed „spooky“ levels ever. The atmosphere of this game in general is so friggin well done.
Started Toreador…. Remembered at the beachhouse how bad combat is in this game (and Toreadors on top of that suck at it)… Went back for easymode Tremere (that AE-Stun) and now i’m in act 2 and can’t wait to play on :D.
On May 04 2015 15:47 Velr wrote: Sure did, but on my first (near) playtrough i had not many issues anyway (except never ending Blood-Armor Graphics...)
It's not so much about the issues, more about having a lot of restored content and other juicy stuff like that.
I beat it for the first time a few months ago as a Toreador, such an amazing game. The new unofficial patch has me curious. I was already planning another playthrough as a Malkavian. Need to see what all the buzz is about with it.
Only thing I really disliked about the game was the ending...they just throw so many enemies at you. I heard it was rushed so I guess I can see why but it really left a bitter taste in my mouth for what was otherwise the best RPG experience I have had in years. I wish more people knew about it and played it, they are missing out on something special.
And I echo the sentiments about the Ocean House Hotel. One of the creepiest parts I have seen in a game, it was really unnerving the first time going through it.
And after you know how to play a malcavian right, it is worth a third one heh. But yeah they can ruin your game if you play them the first time.
Gotta play that game again ... It is so sad it was a bugfest when it came out. It is such a grand game and so many missed out on it, because of the bad reviews. And since it wasn't popular, no one made a sequel T.T .
I loved how the game was made for smart people, how you had to read notes and computer files and often figure out yourself what to do with that info And writing things into computer yourself instead of just clicking options was awesome
On May 10 2015 06:32 -Archangel- wrote: I loved how the game was made for smart people, how you had to read notes and computer files and often figure out yourself what to do with that info
Yeah, the game didn't treat you like a child and that was pretty damn awesome. But this is not something exclusive to VTM:B, the same can be said about many other good cRPGs made during that time and before it. If you like this quality in RPGs, I can suggest you to try original Deus Ex, Morrowind, Arcanum to name a few.
On May 10 2015 06:32 -Archangel- wrote: I loved how the game was made for smart people, how you had to read notes and computer files and often figure out yourself what to do with that info And writing things into computer yourself instead of just clicking options was awesome
It was also cool that if you had no hacking skill, you could still sometimes guess the passwords based on the length (even a failed hack gave you the letter count) and something related to their business or character.
On May 10 2015 06:32 -Archangel- wrote: I loved how the game was made for smart people, how you had to read notes and computer files and often figure out yourself what to do with that info
Yeah, the game didn't treat you like a child and that was pretty damn awesome. But this is not something exclusive to VTM:B, the same can be said about many other good cRPGs made during that time and before it. If you like this quality in RPGs, I can suggest you to try original Deus Ex, Morrowind, Arcanum to name a few.
I played Deus Ex multiple times. I played Morrowind until I got to that multilevel city where I got totally lost :D. I tried to play Arcanum twice but both times for some reason I did not enjoy the game although I love F1 and F2. I never got beyond first village.
On May 10 2015 06:32 -Archangel- wrote: I loved how the game was made for smart people, how you had to read notes and computer files and often figure out yourself what to do with that info
Yeah, the game didn't treat you like a child and that was pretty damn awesome. But this is not something exclusive to VTM:B, the same can be said about many other good cRPGs made during that time and before it. If you like this quality in RPGs, I can suggest you to try original Deus Ex, Morrowind, Arcanum to name a few.
I played Deus Ex multiple times. I played Morrowind until I got to that multilevel city where I got totally lost :D. I tried to play Arcanum twice but both times for some reason I did not enjoy the game although I love F1 and F2. I never got beyond first village.
Morrowind is great, its strongest aspects are story, lore and exploration. So exploring various places and getting lost is part of why many people love it.
It is weird that you didn't enjoy Arcanum if you liked Fallout 1-2, these games have similar spirit. Perhaps your issues was with combat? Developers were forced to add real-time combat mode in addition to the initially planned turn-based combat, as a result both combat modes turned out to be unpolished and very poorly balanced. Still, there are many other things in which the game excels, so it is awesome despite the botched combat. Also, Arcanum, just like VTM:B, was released in a rather poor state. You need unofficial patch to fully enjoy it. And btw, I suggest to use turn-based combat mode, it is still slightly better than the real-time one.
I've played some more VTMB this past few days. I must say I've forgotten how awesome some parts of the game are (like you being told how the game will end near the beginning and still being surprised by it). It has definitely just went up from being in my top 3 RPGs ever to #1 spot. The many ways you can approach it, the uniqueness of different characters (maybe with the exception of Brujah and Toreador, who apart from being combat powerhouses are pretty generic character concepts, one more physical and one more social).
Anyway, I've been tinkering around with the ENB/SweetFX settings I've posted earlier in the thread. The first one (realism preset) was simply too dark. One of the drawbacks of sfx is that it doesn't really recognize different parts of the game and makes your UI hard to see. The other one is good, but all it really does is just improve the graphics of the original. What I did was combine the two and tweak around a bit until I've found a perfect balance between mood (dark environs, great lighting) and playability (you don't end with most of the game being pitch black, UI is clearly visible).
Game: Any SweetFX version: 1.4 Author: CeeJay.dk Description:
These are the default settings for SweetFX 1.4 They smoothen jagged edges with SMAA anti-aliasing, sharpen the image with LumaSharpen and make the colors slightly more vibrant with Vibrance.
Please note when tweaking settings that higher numbers does not always equal better (nor does lower). Finding the best settings for your game and your taste is about finding just the right amount to apply.
If you made a good setttings preset please share it with your friends, on forums and websites, and/or submit it to the SweetFX Settings Database : [url=http://sfx.thelazy.net/games/]http://sfx.thelazy.net/games/[/url]
// Set to 1 for ON or 0 for OFF #define USE_SMAA_ANTIALIASING 1 //[0 or 1] SMAA Anti-aliasing : Smoothens jagged lines using the SMAA technique. #define USE_FXAA_ANTIALIASING 0 //[0 or 1] FXAA Anti-aliasing : Smoothens jagged lines using the FXAA technique #define USE_CARTOON 0 //[0 or 1] Cartoon : "Toon"s the image. #define USE_ADVANCED_CRT 0 //[0 or 1] Advanced CRT : Simulates an old CRT TV display. Set gaussian blur along with it to get a halation effect #define USE_BLOOM 1 //[0 or 1] Bloom : Makes bright lights bleed their light into their surroundings (relatively high performance cost) #define USE_HDR 1 //[0 or 1] HDR : Not actual HDR - It just tries to mimic an HDR look (relatively high performance cost) #define USE_LUMASHARPEN 1 //[0 or 1] LumaSharpen : Also sharpens the antialiased edges which makes them less smooth - I'm working on fixing that. #define USE_GAUSSIAN 0 //[0 or 1] Gaussian Blur : can be used to... blur, but also bloom/hazy/glowy look, also unsharp masking #define USE_FILMGRAIN 0 //[0 or 1] Filmgrain effect #define USE_TECHNICOLOR 0 //[0 or 1] TECHNICOLOR : Attempts to mimic the look of an old movie using the Technicolor three-strip color process (Techicolor Process 4) #define USE_DPX 0 //[0 or 1] Cineon DPX : Should make the image look like it's been converted to DXP Cineon - basically it's another movie-like look similar to technicolor. #define USE_MONOCHROME 0 //[0 or 1] Monochrome : Monochrome makes the colors disappear. #define USE_LIFTGAMMAGAIN 0 //[0 or 1] Lift Gamma Gain : Adjust brightness and color of shadows, midtones and highlights (avoids clipping) #define USE_TONEMAP 0 //[0 or 1] Tonemap : Adjust gamma, exposure, saturation, bleach and defog. (may cause clipping) #define USE_VIBRANCE 1 //[0 or 1] Vibrance : Intelligently saturates (or desaturates if you use negative values) the pixels depending on their original saturation. #define USE_CURVES 1 //[0 or 1] Curves : Contrast adjustments using S-curves. #define USE_SEPIA 1 //[0 or 1] Sepia : Sepia tones the image. #define USE_VIGNETTE 0 //[0 or 1] Vignette : Darkens the edges of the image to make it look more like it was shot with a camera lens. May cause banding artifacts. #define USE_DITHER 1 //[0 or 1] Dither : Applies dithering to simulate more colors than your monitor can display. This lessens banding artifacts (mostly caused by Vignette) #define USE_BORDER 0 //[0 or 1] Border : Makes the screenedge black as a workaround for the bright edge that forcing some AA modes sometimes causes. #define USE_SPLITSCREEN 0 //[0 or 1] Splitscreen : Enables the before-and-after splitscreen comparison mode.
#define SMAA_THRESHOLD 0.05 //[0.05 to 0.20] Edge detection threshold. If SMAA misses some edges try lowering this slightly. I prefer between 0.08 and 0.12. #define SMAA_MAX_SEARCH_STEPS 98 //[0 to 98] Determines the radius SMAA will search for aliased edges #define SMAA_MAX_SEARCH_STEPS_DIAG 16 //[0 to 16] Determines the radius SMAA will search for diagonal aliased edges #define SMAA_CORNER_ROUNDING 32 //[0 to 100] Determines the percent of antialiasing to apply to corners. 0 seems to affect fine text the least so it's the default.
// -- Advanced SMAA settings -- #define COLOR_EDGE_DETECTION 1 //[0 or 1] 1 Enables color edge detection (slower but slightly more acurate) - 0 uses luma edge detection (faster) #define SMAA_DIRECTX9_LINEAR_BLEND 0 //[0 or 1] Using DX9 HARDWARE? (software version doesn't matter) if so this needs to be 1 - If not, leave it at 0. //Enable this only if you use a Geforce 7xxx series or older card, or a Radeon X1xxx series or older card.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / FXAA Anti-aliasing settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define FXAA_QUALITY__PRESET 39 //[1 to 39] Choose the quality preset. 39 is the highest quality. #define fxaa_Subpix 0.400 //[0.000 to 1.000] Choose the amount of sub-pixel aliasing removal. #define fxaa_EdgeThreshold 0.250 //[0.000 to 1.000] Edge detection threshold. The minimum amount of local contrast required to apply algorithm. #define fxaa_EdgeThresholdMin 0.060 //[0.000 to 1.000] Darkness threshold. Trims the algorithm from processing darks.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Cartoon settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define CartoonPower 1.0 //[0.1 to 10.0] Amount of effect you want.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Advanced CRT settings / '----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define CRTAmount 1.00 //[0.00 to 1.00] Amount of CRT effect you want
#define CRTResolutionX 512 //[1 to 2048] Original input width of the game (ie. 320) #define CRTResolutionY 304 //[1 to 2048] Original input height of the game (ie. 240) #define CRTgamma 2.4 //[0.0 to 4.0] Gamma of simulated CRT (default 2.4) #define CRTmonitorgamma 2.2 //[0.0 to 4.0] Gamma of display monitor (typically 2.2 is correct) #define CRTBrightness 0.9 //[1.0 to 3.0] Used to boost brightness a little. Default is 1.0 #define CRTScanlineIntensity 2.0 //[2.0 to 4.0] Scanlines intensity (use integer values preferably). Default is 2.0 #define CRTScanlineGaussian 1 //[0 or 1] Use the "new nongaussian scanlines bloom effect". Default is on
#define CRTCurvature 1 //[[0 or 1] "Barrel effect" enabled (1) or off (0) #define CRTCurvatureRadius 1.5 //[0.0 to 2.0] Curvature Radius (only effective when Curvature is enabled). Default is 1.5 #define CRTCornerSize 0.0100 //[0.0000 to 0.0020] Higher values, more rounded corner. Default is 0.001 #define CRTDistance 2.00 //[0.00 to 4.00] Simulated distance from viewer to monitor. Default is 2.00 #define CRTAngleX 0.00 //[-0.20 to 0.20] Tilt angle in radians (X coordinates) #define CRTAngleY -0.15 //[-0.20 to 0.20] Tilt angle in radians (Y coordinates). (Value of -0.15 gives the 'arcade tilt' look) #define CRTOverScan 1.01 //[1.00 to 1.10] Overscan (e.g. 1.02 for 2% overscan). Default is 1.01 #define CRTOversample 0 //[0 or 1] Enable 3x oversampling of the beam profile (warning : performance hit)
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Bloom settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define BloomThreshold 20.25 //[0.00 to 50.00] Threshold for what is a bright light (that causes bloom) and what isn't. #define BloomPower 1.446 //[0.000 to 8.000] Strength of the bloom #define BloomWidth 0.0142 //[0.0000 to 1.0000] Width of the bloom
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / HDR settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define HDRPower 1.5 //[0.00 to 8.00] Strangely lowering this makes the image brighter #define radius2 0.9 //[0.00 to 8.00] Raising this seems to make the effect stronger and also brighter
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / LumaSharpen settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ // -- Sharpening -- #define sharp_strength 1.15 //[0.10 to 3.00] Strength of the sharpening #define sharp_clamp 0.035 //[0.000 to 1.000] Limits maximum amount of sharpening a pixel recieves - Default is 0.035
// -- Advanced sharpening settings -- #define pattern 4 //[1|2|3|4] Choose a sample pattern. 1 = Fast, 2 = Normal, 3 = Wider, 4 = Pyramid shaped. #define offset_bias 1.0 //[0.0 to 6.0] Offset bias adjusts the radius of the sampling pattern. //I designed the pattern for offset_bias 1.0, but feel free to experiment.
// -- Debug sharpening settings -- #define show_sharpen 0 //[0 or 1] Visualize the strength of the sharpen (multiplied by 4 to see it better)
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Gaussian Blur settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define GaussEffect 2 //[0|1|2|3] 0 = Blur, 1 = Unsharpmask (expensive), 2 = Bloom, 3 = Sketchy. Default is 2 #define GaussQuality 3 //[0|1|2|3] Warning: 2 and 3 are expensive. Default is 1 #define GaussSigma 1 //[1 to 4] The higher the wider blur/bloom is (only effective when Bloom selected) #define GaussBloomWarmth 1 //[0|1|2] "Temperature" of the bloom - 0 = neutral, 1 = warm, 2 = hazy/foggy #define GaussThreshold 0.50 //[0.00 to 1.00] [DX10/11 only] Threshold for what is a bright light (that causes bloom) and what isn't. #define GaussExposure 43.0 //[0.00 to 100.00] [DX10/11 only] Exposure of the effect (the lower the brighter) #define GaussStrength 0.10 //[0.00 to 1.00] Amount of effect blended into the final image
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Film grain settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define FilmGrainIntensity 0.46 //[0.00 to 1.00] Intensity of grain. Default is 0.46 #define FilmGrainExposure 40 //[0 to 100] Grain Exposure. Default is 40 (Lower -> darker noise) #define FilmGrainSize 2 //[0 to 10] Size of the grain. Default is 2 (Higher -> thinner noise)
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / TECHNICOLOR settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define TechniAmount 0.4 //[0.00 to 1.00] #define TechniPower 4.0 //[0.00 to 8.00] #define redNegativeAmount 0.88 //[0.00 to 1.00] #define greenNegativeAmount 0.88 //[0.00 to 1.00] #define blueNegativeAmount 0.88 //[0.00 to 1.00]
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Cineon DPX settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define Red 8.0 //[1.0 to 15.0] #define Green 8.0 //[1.0 to 15.0] #define Blue 8.0 //[1.0 to 15.0]
#define ColorGamma 2.5 //[0.1 to 2.5] Adjusts the colorfulness of the effect in a manner similar to Vibrance. 1.0 is neutral. #define DPXSaturation 3.0 //[0.0 to 8.0] Adjust saturation of the effect. 1.0 is neutral.
#define RedC 0.36 //[0.60 to 0.20] #define GreenC 0.36 //[0.60 to 0.20] #define BlueC 0.34 //[0.60 to 0.20]
#define Blend 0.2 //[0.00 to 1.00] How strong the effect should be.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Monochrome settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define Monochrome_conversion_values float3(0.18,0.41,0.41) //[0.00 to 1.00] Percentage of RGB to include (should sum up to 1.00)
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Lift Gamma Gain settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define RGB_Lift float3(1.000, 1.000, 1.000) //[0.000 to 2.000] Adjust shadows for Red, Green and Blue #define RGB_Gamma float3(1.000, 1.000, 1.000) //[0.000 to 2.000] Adjust midtones for Red, Green and Blue #define RGB_Gain float3(1.000, 1.000, 1.000) //[0.000 to 2.000] Adjust highlights for Red, Green and Blue
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Tonemap settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define Gamma 1.0 //[0.000 to 2.000] Adjust midtones #define Exposure 0.00 //[-1.000 to 1.000] Adjust exposure #define Saturation 0.00 //[-1.000 to 1.000] Adjust saturation #define Bleach 0.00 //[0.000 to 1.000] Brightens the shadows and fades the colors #define Defog 0.000 //[0.000 to 1.000] How much of the color tint to remove #define FogColor float3(0.00, 0.00, 2.55) //[0.00 to 2.55, 0.00 to 2.55, 0.00 to 2.55] What color to remove - default is blue
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Vibrance settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define Vibrance 0.4 //0.15 //[-1.00 to 1.00] Intelligently saturates (or desaturates if you use negative values) the pixels depending on their original saturation.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Curves settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define Curves_mode 0 //[0|1|2] Choose what to apply contrast to. 0 = Luma, 1 = Chroma, 2 = both Luma and Chroma. Default is 0 (Luma) #define Curves_contrast 0.30 //0.28 //[-1.00 to 1.00] The amount of contrast you want
// -- Advanced curve settings -- #define Curves_formula 3 //[1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9] The contrast s-curve you want to use. //1 = Sine, 2 = Abs split, 3 = Smoothstep, 4 = Exp formula, 5 = Simplified Catmull-Rom (0,0,1,1), 6 = Perlins Smootherstep //7 = Abs add, 8 = Techicolor Cinestyle, 9 = Parabola. //Note that Technicolor Cinestyle is practically identical to Sine, but runs slower. In fact I think the difference might only be due to rounding errors. //I prefer 2 myself, but 3 is a nice alternative with a little more effect (but harsher on the highlight and shadows) and it's the fastest formula.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Sepia settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define ColorTone float3(1.10, 1.00, 1.00) //[0.00 to 2.55, 0.00 to 2.55, 0.00 to 2.55] What color to tint the image #define GreyPower 0.01 //[0.00 to 1.00] How much desaturate the image before tinting it #define SepiaPower 0.75 //[0.00 to 1.00] How much to tint the image
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Vignette settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define VignetteRatio 1.00 //[0.15 to 6.00] Sets a width to height ratio. 1.00 (1/1) is perfectly round, while 1.60 (16/10) is 60 % wider than it's high. #define VignetteRadius 1.00 //[-1.00 to 3.00] lower values = stronger radial effect from center #define VignetteAmount -1.00 //[-2.00 to 1.00] Strength of black. -2.00 = Max Black, 1.00 = Max White. #define VignetteSlope 8 //[1 to 16] How far away from the center the change should start to really grow strong (odd numbers cause a larger fps drop than even numbers) #define VignetteCenter float2(0.500, 0.500) //[0.000 to 1.000, 0.000 to 1.000] Center of effect.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Dither settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define dither_method 1 //[1 or 2] 1 = Ordering dithering (good and very fast), 2 = Random dithering (even better dithering but not as fast)
//Note that the patterns used by Dither, makes an image harder to compress. //This can make your screenshots and video recordings take up more space.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Border settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ //No settings yet, beyond switching it on or off in the top section.
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Key settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ // This is the section where you can define your own key mapping // See the following URL to find out what keycode a key has: // [url=http://www.cambiaresearch.com/articles/15/javascript-char-codes-key-codes]http://www.cambiaresearch.com/articles/15/javascript-char-codes-key-codes[/url]
/*-----------------------------------------------------------. / Misc settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ // You can load and chain other DirectX wrappers (ENB, Helix, Windower...) // If the external wrapper is already named d3d9.dll, rename it into // something else like "d3d9_enb.dll" (note that even if this is commented it actually works)
I don't know if I want to get my hopes up. On one hand, another VtM game in the spirit of VtM:B would the best thing ever. On the other hand I doubt that, if they ever touch this franchise again, they manage to make a worthy game that captures all that was great about it. But holy shit, I would murder to be able to play another game as a Malkavian...
On October 30 2015 08:19 -Archangel- wrote: This is very good news. CCP have it too long and did nothing.
They tried to develop a Vampire MMO .. that is hardly 'nothing' ^^
It's almost as though if they wanted that to fail though, if you try reading about the development process.
"I once saw him looking over the shoulder of a programmer at some bit of User Interface the poor guy had hacked together. He straightened up, put fingers to lips and said, ‘No, this isn't it at all. Make it more... psssshhhh’ He hissed on his fucking fingertips, like the air coming out of a bicycle tire, and then just walked away.”
Recently Leonard Boyarsky joined Obsidian which still has a number of ex-Troika people working there.
All the pieces are in place for a new Bloodlines game, Obsidian plz. The only issue is that Inxile has some of those developers on their team as well, not to mention George Ziets who would definitely fit as a game dev in a game like Bloodlines.
Oh, this is interesting. Would love to see another approach at a game set in the World of Darkness. Excited to see where this is going (if anywhere)! :D
That's a weird survey tbh. VTM:B was mostly story- and character-driven, I don't see it as a game with great replayability. I guess it's a bit funny once you understand all that foreshadowing? I mean the "everytime someone mentions it, someone reinstalls it"-joke is essentially about nostalgia, right?
Similar reason why I'm not a big fan of a VTM MMo, story and atmosphere driven just works better with lots of npcs than with real people. "Dumbtroll420" jumping up and down in front of me kinda ruins that gloomy depressed atmosphere where everyone is a drug addict or a psychopath.
That's a weird survey tbh. VTM:B was mostly story- and character-driven, I don't see it as a game with great replayability. I guess it's a bit funny once you understand all that foreshadowing? I mean the "everytime someone mentions it, someone reinstalls it"-joke is essentially about nostalgia, right?
Similar reason why I'm not a big fan of a VTM MMo, story and atmosphere driven just works better with lots of npcs than with real people. "Dumbtroll420" jumping up and down in front of me kinda ruins that gloomy depressed atmosphere where everyone is a drug addict or a psychopath.
I think it does have plenty of replayability. Not only do you have to sometimes tackle quests differently depending on your clan choice (and some of those even feel like a different game, while most have special content just for that clan) but you have 5 different endings to discover. On top of that you can customize your character in several ways, which also affects how the game is played.
And no matter how many times I've already played it, it's always a joy. Also, Paradox stated pretty clearly that they're not interested in taking it the MMO route.
That's a weird survey tbh. VTM:B was mostly story- and character-driven, I don't see it as a game with great replayability. I guess it's a bit funny once you understand all that foreshadowing? I mean the "everytime someone mentions it, someone reinstalls it"-joke is essentially about nostalgia, right?
Similar reason why I'm not a big fan of a VTM MMo, story and atmosphere driven just works better with lots of npcs than with real people. "Dumbtroll420" jumping up and down in front of me kinda ruins that gloomy depressed atmosphere where everyone is a drug addict or a psychopath.
I think it does have plenty of replayability. Not only do you have to sometimes tackle quests differently depending on your clan choice (and some of those even feel like a different game, while most have special content just for that clan) but you have 5 different endings to discover. On top of that you can customize your character in several ways, which also affects how the game is played.
And no matter how many times I've already played it, it's always a joy. Also, Paradox stated pretty clearly that they're not interested in taking it the MMO route.
Yeah might be just me, I mostly play me or a darker role in RPGs, I don't really play for full content. Tbh I try not to get interested too much in options I wouldn't normally take, cause else I start save+loading and it ruins my immersion. Honestly I start to dislike quicksave more and more. Also why would you play anything but Malkavian?
IIrc the gameplay/fighting wasn't great, are new abilities really a game changer?
@MMo: Yeah didn't think that Paradox would go for an MMO, was just wondering about the original plan of White Wolf. On the other hand Bioware and EA for some reason thought it was a good plan as well...
@VtM3 The most interesting question remains what exactly the game is going to look like if they actually make it. VtM:B was a game of a different time, narrow level structure, forefront soundtrack and (almost) no companions. Modern AAA RPGs are almost exclusively open-world, which seems like a concept that could work on a smaller scale for VtM (Vice city size or smaller). Then again I can totally see a dishonored/DMoMM with more NPCs and higher difficulty in the world of darkness (which would be absolutely awesome).
The fact that Paradox asks for very different games hints that they aren't 100% sure yet too. Interestingly enough they didn't ask for Skyrim or Witcher2/3.
On October 05 2016 12:17 Archeon wrote: The fact that Paradox asks for very different games hints that they aren't 100% sure yet too. Interestingly enough they didn't ask for Skyrim or Witcher2/3.
Well, we have to ask ourselves here what do Baldur's Gate II, Mass Effect II, VtM:B and Dishonored have in common (since those are the games they were asking about).
VTM:B had a lot of replayability, at the very minimum you had a regular clan run, a malkavian run and a nosferatu run. Those were all 3 very different experiences imho.
Reading a bit of the discussion regarding that old survey people seemed to think they wanted to check different genres of RPGs. So the RPGs in it have very little in common and they wanted to see how the different genres effected replayability. Perhaps also checking overlap of genres from players.
Does player A find game 1, 3 and 6 replayable and never played 2 and 4. This way they get information about RPG demographics, perhaps game 3 is on every-bodies list as re-played and no other game. That way they know about a game that might be good F2P, MMO or worth planing a DLC lifetime for.
On October 05 2016 16:55 Unleashing wrote: VTM:B had a lot of replayability, at the very minimum you had a regular clan run, a malkavian run and a nosferatu run. Those were all 3 very different experiences imho.
but you could never pass the ocean side hotel again after the first playthrough!
What I got out of the survey was Obsidian and Paradox looking at games they've had a hand in developing (PoE and Fo:NV), staff members who have worked on reputable RPGs (V:TM-B, ME2, BG2) and recent games taking hints from RPGs to look to the future (Dishonored). Measuring things like replayability primarily, I get the impression they're looking mostly for why games are replayable and what motivates players to replay them deeply. And for avoiding acclaimed RPGs in the past two years like TW2/TW3 or Skyrim, Obsidian is probably looking to avoid going in that direction of streamlined RPGs and sticking to the class structured RPG.
On October 05 2016 16:55 Unleashing wrote: VTM:B had a lot of replayability, at the very minimum you had a regular clan run, a malkavian run and a nosferatu run. Those were all 3 very different experiences imho.
but you could never pass the ocean side hotel again after the first playthrough!
"I know no one is here, nothing will happen, no reason to be scared, why am I scared, i know no one is here, nothing will happen, there is no reason to be scared, why am i pissing my Pants."...
On October 05 2016 22:47 Unleashing wrote: Ocean side hotel is probably the first quest in a game that genuinely spooked me
You should try it out with ENB and SweetFX. I did it today and it was twice as scary as usual since everything was darker, the lights were more eerie and shadows deeper. I got especially spooked when I entered a room, lights went out and I wasn't able to find the exit for the longest time due to how dark it was (I thought maybe they changed something in the later patches). You really do appreciate Gangrel's heat vision at times like that (hint: I wasn't playing Gangrel at the time).
If you want to play as a Nosferatu but absolutely loathe the SM outfits then there's an easy way to play as Gary, the classy Nos.
1. Inside your installation directory open the "Unofficial_Patch/vdata/system/clandoc000.txt" 2. Find the "Player_Nosferatu" line. 3. Change the armor models to the following (old ones are commented out):
Bloodlines 2 might be coming from Paradox. They started a viral campaing this year.
1. A Twitter account was created that supposedly belongs to Knox Harrington from Bloodlines. 2. Strange website was mentioned, which lead to the Tender app. Tender app is mentioned in the new Masquerade PnP RPG sourcebooks for 5th edition. Tender also matches core rule book in visual design. I suggest registering on Tender since the questions give you a really cool VtM vibe 3. People started solving puzzles spotted between those channels: https://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Tender
I can't wait to see where this will lead, but everything is pointing to VtMB sequel.
The Paradox dev team is mostly known for the massive scale strategy games though, right? It's interesting to see if there is some other dev team behind the game while Paradox does the publishing.
They're definitely spreading the love around since Cyanide Studio is making Werewolf: The Apocalypse (same setting but about werewolves instead of vampires, the spiritual world and environmentalism). Seeing how Paradox now has pretty much all the rights to WoD it might be a good idea not to hoard it if they can't (or won't) be doing anything with some of the IPs contained within.
On February 20 2019 02:17 Bacillus wrote: The Paradox dev team is mostly known for the massive scale strategy games though, right? It's interesting to see if there is some other dev team behind the game while Paradox does the publishing.
They produced war of the roses and mount and blade as well as pillars of eternity for Obsidians independent swan song and bought hairbrained who did shadowrun and battletech.
To keep in mind that they are partialy owned by tencent but I think its only like 5 percent from when they went public.
There is this VTM tabletop campaign on geek and sundry thats GM'd by a employee of white wolf if anyones interested. I have been watching it recently and enjoy it. + Show Spoiler +
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/S9Fv2.jpg)
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