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Just bought VTM: Bloodlines - what should I know going in?

D

Deified Data

Banned
Pick this up for $5 on Steam yesterday - it's been on my backlog forever and I was happy to get it at such a good price. I know a little about the franchise: I know it's based on a LARP, I know people will tell me to start as a Malkavian, and I know that playthroughs are supposed to vary wildly depending on your chosen clan and build.

Reading the clan descriptions made that last point obvious. I was instantly attracted to the looks of the Nosferatu clan, and imagine their inability to walk freely among mortals is probably a huge disadvantage that I might not want to be saddled with on my first playthrough. I don't particularly want to start as a Malkavian, since if I like the game (and I think I will) they seem better suited to replays so you can see how much the dialogue has changed. I'm not sure I want to be told what to do here so much as hear other folks' impressions of how they started the game and the challenges they faced.

Mostly though the thread is to ask if there's anything I need to know before going in, and to please keep it as spoiler-free as possible. Any game breaking bugs? Missables? Points of no return? Thanks.
 
hemtae

hemtae

Member
Don't start as Malkavian. Leave that to your second play through.

There's also a patch that you should install before playing but I can't find the thread for that right now.
 
J

JumpJeff84

Member
I was just about to make the same thread! Bought the game last night and played for 20 minutes. Seems interesting...

Based on what I've heard, combat is kind of a mess. I think I may go with ranged weapons.
 
Q

QuiteWhittle

Member
Thanks for making this thread, OP. Bought the game too and I was also looking for advice.

Played a bit as a Ventrue(decided by the personality test), seems neat.
 
D

Deified Data

Banned
NIN90 said:
You should install the fan patch.

http://www.patches-scrolls.com/vampire_bloodlines.php
Click to expand...

Yeah I got that - couldn't start without it. Got the "Memory is less than 15MB!!!" bug.

Other random question. I got the game working but for some reason the production cards before the main menu aren't showing up. I hear the sound effects and I can skip them but I can't see them. Obviously not a big deal but I was curious.

Echoenigma said:
Patch the hell out of it and don't pick Nosferatu or Malkavian for your first playthrough.

That's pretty much it.
Click to expand...
No Nosferatu either? Makes sense, given how they seem to mix up gameplay quite a bit. I'll take the quiz when making my character and let you all know what I land on.
 
J

Just take it with you.

Member
Deified Data said:
Pick this up for $5 on Steam yesterday - it's been on my backlog forever and I was happy to get it at such a good price. I know a little about the franchise: I know it's based on a LARP, I know people will tell me to start as a Malkavian, and I know that playthroughs are supposed to vary wildly depending on your chosen clan and build.
Click to expand...

Most people I've seen will say what you said--to play Malkavian in a replay.

Personally, I did Toreador -> Malkavian.
 
M

Mman235

Member
Install the fan patch and invest in combat skills (doesn't matter which ones, as long as you can fight decently by the late parts of the game).
 
L

Linkhero1

Member
It's not the best looking game but it's fun. I put 20 hours into it and my save erased :(

I should start a new file one of these days.
 
D

Deified Data

Banned
Mman235 said:
Install the fan patch and invest in combat skills (doesn't matter which ones, as long as you can fight decently by the late parts of the game).
Click to expand...

Is this game like Deus Ex HR where you can be screwed later on for not investing in combat? Any forced "bosses" that totally ruin the rhythm of the game and force you to play a certain way?
 
J

Jb

Member
There are a few "dungeons" where combat is more or less required, and they can be a pain in the ass, so do not spend all your points in speech/hacking/lockpicking.
 
F

Foofaraw

Member
Tremere is probably the easiest clan. Don't start with Malk, as they give spoilers that you won't quite understand, nor with Nosferatu, as they fundamentally change the way you play the game.

Vampire: the Masquerade is mainly a table top roleplaying game hailing from the 90's. It did have a large LARP contingent, but I don't know that this would be considered the main way to play it.

Fan patch is super important.

As you play, think of ways to convince CCP (maker's of EVE and current Vampire IP holder) to either create another one of these, or license it out.


Again, don't be a Fish Malk
Fishmalk.gif
 
M

Mman235

Member
Deified Data said:
Is this game like Deus Ex HR where you can be screwed later on for not investing in combat? Any forced "bosses" that totally ruin the rhythm of the game and force you to play a certain way?
Click to expand...

Yeah it's along those lines, towards the end stealth/diplomacy isn't much use against many things and you're pretty screwed if your focus was purely on that (they're really useful for most of the game though and you'll miss out on some skillpoints without them).
 
Nikodemos

Nikodemos

Member
El Chupacabra said:
*It's possible unarmed kinda sucks, it's been a while.
Click to expand...
IIRC the only time unarmed is worth it is if you're playing Gangrel, since Protean uses the unarmed bonuses. I'm not really sure about this, though; it's been a really long time since I've last played it.

Leb said:
and pick Ventrue or Tremere instead.
Click to expand...
Ventrue is rather meh. Go Tremere, Blood Magic is fun and different.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
The old adage is true, whenever you mention Bloodlines, someone will reinstall it.

All of this talk lately has made me want to do another play through.
 
E

EGM1966

Member
Install fan patch. Save Malkavian and Nosferatu for later playthroughs - don't be afraid to use cheat codes in the final stretch when the developers clearly ran out of money/time and threw in padded combat levels if you're finding it tedious : the game overall is too good to let a few weak last levels spoil the fun.

Enjoy one of the best RPGs ever - IMHO and factually too!
 
K

KevMan1815

Member
I played through this in January. Very good game. I ignored the advice against playing Malkavian first and I don't think it hurt my first play through at all. The game made me remember when RPGs had more than three speech choices (good, bad, funny). Those were the days.

Edit: reworded a sentence. Oops!
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
EGM1966 said:
don't be afraid to use cheat codes in the final stretch when the developers clearly ran out of money/time and threw in padded combat levels if you're finding it tedious : the game overall is too good to let a few weak last levels spoil the fun.
Click to expand...

I really should have just done this. The last parts of the game are a real slog to get through, essentially endless combat encounters.
 
E

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
So what is a good race to do the first playthrough with?
 
G

Guesong

Member
Ermac said:
So what is a good race to do the first playthrough with?
Click to expand...

As other said, anything but Malkavian or Nosferatu. And I agree. You get so much more out of a Malkavian playthrough once you can understand all the references.

When I first played it I went with a Toreador. With the patch though, I can't see myself playing anything than a Tremere - Eldritch Prodigy and maxing the hell out of Blood Magic. It's just so fun.
 
D

dreamfall

Member
Still my favorite Western RPG ever.

I loved my Gangrel girl, we were tearing everything apart!

I played through it again last summer with the Resolution fix patches and some lighting fixes. It still is absolutely incredible!
 
M

Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
Pick Tremere for OP blood bullet skills for the first time around, Malkavian is better for the second playthrough because you can better appreciate their dialogue tree differences.

IIRC, other than them, Toreador have the easiest time with combat due to celerity and good gun skill-related alignments for skill-ups.

To echo what has been said, pick at least one form of combat (or use console commands for the end levels) to avoid frustration near the end.

You'll probably also want one of the three forms of 'social skills - persuade/intimidate/charm', they can definitely come in handy.
 
ref

ref

Member
Turn off, I think it's called reverb in the audio settings, otherwise the voices sound strange due to 2 different (and slightly out of sync) audio tracks of the same voice playing in both ears.

Other than that, nothing. Play it the way you like. Enjoy it.

It's a great game.

Edit: Oh, yeah install the fan patch.
 
K

Kimaka

Member
Deified Data said:
Yeah I got that - couldn't start without it. Got the "Memory is less than 15MB!!!" bug.

Other random question. I got the game working but for some reason the production cards before the main menu aren't showing up. I hear the sound effects and I can skip them but I can't see them. Obviously not a big deal but I was curious.


No Nosferatu either? Makes sense, given how they seem to mix up gameplay quite a bit. I'll take the quiz when making my character and let you all know what I land on.
Click to expand...

If you haven't already, you can fix that error by setting the compatibility to Windows XP and run as an Admin. It has worked for me every time I install it.
 
A

Azih

Member
Toreador are good at gunplay and have the best social skills. I cheated near the end of the game though and didn't feel any guilt at all. Also played Tremere for the unique spells and that was fun as well. Malk was my final playthrough. Top three game for me easy. Do the right thing and license it to Obsidian for a sequel CCP..
 
I

Inkwell

Banned
From what I remember, at about the half-way point (maybe the third hub area), the game becomes very combat focused. I used god mode my first time through the game at around that point because I put experience points in just about everything except for combat.

My second time through as Malkavian, I hoarded my experience points and only upgraded my skills as needed. By that point in the game I had enough to upgrade my gun skills and had no issues finishing the game.
 
C

Cave Johnson

Member
Best writing I've seen in a video game. Every class has it's own distinction and even the way you approach these characters is different. Ladies & Gentleman, this IS how you do an RPG. This is why people are suggesting to play the Malkavian as a 2nd playthrough because the experience is that different.

The one thing I hate about this game is that is that I keep measuring other game standards to this. A phenomenal experience that still gives me the creeps
(the snuff tape)
for instance is one of the most haunting moments I've come across in any video game. PERIOD.
 
D

Deified Data

Banned
ref said:
Turn off, I think it's called reverb in the audio settings, otherwise the voices sound strange due to 2 different (and slightly out of sync) audio tracks of the same voice playing in both ears.

Other than that, nothing. Play it the way you like. Enjoy it.

It's a great game.

Edit: Oh, yeah install the fan patch.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks, I was just about to ask that question.

So I'm kind of stuck between Gangrel and Tremere for my first playthrough, pretty much polar opposites. Do they both have pretty equal pay offs or should I just stick with Tremere like everyone's suggesting?
 
A

Azih

Member
Deified Data said:
Cool, thanks, I was just about to ask that question.

So I'm kind of stuck between Gangrel and Tremere for my first playthrough, pretty much polar opposites. Do they both have pretty equal pay offs or should I just stick with Tremere like everyone's suggesting?
Click to expand...

Tremere have a unique home base in the second area that other clans don't have access to (bit tricky to get though) if I remember correctly along with unique blood magic powers. Go with what you feel like between the two though, they're both fine.
 
ref

ref

Member
Deified Data said:
So should I do my first playthrough with modded textures or should I appreciate the vanilla look first?
Click to expand...

Personally, I never had an issue with the textures as is. I'm not sure which texture pack you're referring to, but I usually try to stay away from anything that looks 'different' from the original look of the game, even if it's higher resolution.

I guess it's what you prefer, a better graphical experience with higher resolution textures, or enjoy the original look of the game with modest textures.

However, If this texture pack looks pretty similar to the original textures, I'd say go for it.
 
S

saunderez

Member
I'm playing through for the first time right now with the unofficial patch with just the shader mods in the patch. Why didn't I play this like 10 years ago?

I'm playing Tremere, have done several missions are really starting to get a feel for the world. Great game.
 
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