• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt [Closed Alpha]

VN1X

Banned

^sign up here
The Bloodhunt Closed Alpha is LIVE!

Dear Kindred,

Welcome to Bloodhunt’s very first Alpha Test! We are honored to have you with us, and we hope that you will have a lot of fun.

And for that to happen, we wanted to give you some information about what you should expect during these 3 days.

But first, here is some basic information regarding the Closed Alpha:

Servers will open on the 2nd of July at 2 PM CET (Central European Time)
Servers will close on the 4th of July at 2 PM CET (Central European Time)


Once you have downloaded the game, you will have to create a Sharkmob Account. Don’t forget to check your email to make sure you go through the email verification part without a hitch.

Once in the Elysium (Which is the name of our game lobby), press F1 to queue for a match.
Now, a few things to keep in mind:

1. If you are getting an error that says “Internal Error” please restart your Steam client and then use the verify file function in Steam prior to starting the game again. This should solve the issue.

2. If you have a question, it is likely we have an answer for you in our FAQ which you can find here: https://support.sharkmob.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402324600081-Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQ-

3. Since we are in Alpha mode, some functions/features have been disabled. For example, you will not be able to invite friends to your group. You CAN play in Group mode, but the group will be randomized. We also support Solo play. Additionally, some features like customization and progression will be very limited to what we intend to have in the full game.

4. Localization is not finished. If you play in a localized version, you might encounter some missing or partly translated texts. This is still very much in progress.

5. As this is running on Pre-Alpha code expect many bugs, like, seriously. When you do, we would really appreciate it if you could report them in our #bughunt channel on our official Discord server which you can find here: discord.gg/bloodhunt

6. You will likely encounter bugs, technical issues and also potentially experience server instability, please remember this is the reason we are doing an Alpha Test in the first place. We need a big number of players to stress test our servers and help us squash the bugs 😊

7. There is no NDA. This means you are more than welcome to stream or talk about the game. If you do, we hope that you can mention that the game is still in an early Alpha state and still in development, but we are still proud of what we achieved so far and we hope that you will enjoy it.
Enjoy the ride!

Don’t hesitate to join us on our social channels:

Discord.gg/bloodhunt


Nuke this if old but the Alpha test just started this weekend and I'm surprised to say it's actually really decent! I think it features some of the best movement mechanics in a battle royale yet simply due to the free-form nature of it without going overboard as was the case with Hyper Scape or, on the flipside, Apex Legends what with its weird mix between CoD and trudging through molasses. Bloodhunt reminds me of what a Warframe multiplayer should've been like (no we don't talk about Conclave). There's even a bullet jump-like mechanic from WF where if you aim your weapon while juming/flying you'll hover in the air for a bit to line up a shot. A small mechanic that goes a long way to not only make fights cool and stylish but also interesting and creative. Weapons feel and sound great, performance is not bad considering it's supposed alpha code and you get into matches almost instantly which makes it very moreish. I like it!

Anyway I'm probably in the extreme minority on GAF when it comes to enjoying a battle royale based on the World of Darkness franchise but I think they've done a really good job with the source material. My only hope is that by the time the full release rolls around they'll have announced some plans for new maps as, despite the high quality of the current map: Prague, it being limited to night time only ('cause vampires) I can see it getting rather stale fast. I'd love it if they'll feature other cities in set (Eastern) Europe as well.

So did anyone else get access to the alpha? Should I be ostracized for enjoying a Vampire the Masquerade Battle Royale game? Will this actually turn out to be better than Bloodlines 2? Give me your hot takes GAF.
 
Last edited:

Ultra Donny

Member
It's a very strange take on the world of darkness IP. Maybe it's a really good game, but it is not what I expect from a Vampire the masquerade setting.
 

amigastar

Member
Meanwhile at Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2:
568ffd0132631dc13a3a71901e344ca8.gif
 

Teslerum

Member
It's a very strange take on the world of darkness IP. Maybe it's a really good game, but it is not what I expect from a Vampire the masquerade setting.
More than that. It's entirely counter to the Masquerade concept.

That said the IP has gone worse for a while.
 
Last edited:

VN1X

Banned
Thought this was bloodlines... It looks like they are trying hard to ruin the IP, huh?
Now that's the hot take I was waiting for!

Imagine a franchise not just adhering to one type of game. It's not as if you're not getting the story based games you want because of a multiplayer only title. In fact you're getting a sequel to one of the most praised entries in the franchise next to some visual novel type stuff as well. If you want more lore then you ain't exactly starved for choice.
 

VN1X

Banned
More than that. It's entirely counter to the Masquerade concept.
That's actually a somewhat clever mechanic baked into this game where if you get spotted doing vampire things, by unsuspecting civilians, you'll be marked for other players in that vicinity. In other words it rewards stealthy play and you can't just willy nilly start biting people's necks or bullet timing next to NPC's cause that would work in your disadvantage.

So as far as incorporating that concept into a multiplayer-only title I think they've done a good job on that front at least.
 
Last edited:

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
Honestly, gameplay looks WAY better than I expected. Not a fan of the art direction and think overall it looks very bland. But as far as traversal and abilities, I think it looks VERY cool.
 

ManaByte

Member
I fully support everyone shifting to Vampires now in games and entertainment because Zombies are so played out.
 

Faithless83

Banned
Now that's the hot take I was waiting for!

Imagine a franchise not just adhering to one type of game. It's not as if you're not getting the story based games you want because of a multiplayer only title. In fact you're getting a sequel to one of the most praised entries in the franchise next to some visual novel type stuff as well. If you want more lore then you ain't exactly starved for choice.
It's a game revolving on breaking the masquerade, just for starters, a.k.a. cash grab battle royale with GUNS on a vampire game.

Then we have the dumpster fire that Bloodlines 2 became, since they got rid of the main writer (who pushed for the game existence btw) and got this instead:
yst14TM.png

The poorly written visual novel stuff? Have you played that shit?
I had tabletop sessions with players that never DM before more interesting than that.

So yeah, they are indeed trying hard to run the IP to the ground IMO.
 

Faithless83

Banned
Angry Harrison Ford GIF


It looks fun.

If you're so concerned about maintaining the masquerade I'm sure you can find some LARP group.
This is the new Metal Gear survive.
It doesn't have anything to do with the IP besides the name.

If you're not a fan, you don't give a shit. Let me try to simplify this for you:
It's a game about killing things that do not die with guns, WITH GUNS.

It's the equivalent of having a Gran Turismo game with planes.
 

VN1X

Banned
It's a game revolving on breaking the masquerade, just for starters, a.k.a. cash grab battle royale with GUNS on a vampire game.

Then we have the dumpster fire that Bloodlines 2 became, since they got rid of the main writer (who pushed for the game existence btw) and got this instead:
yst14TM.png

The poorly written visual novel stuff? Have you played that shit?
I had tabletop sessions with players that never DM before more interesting than that.

So yeah, they are indeed trying hard to run the IP to the ground IMO.
Animated GIF


Also I've not played the VN stuff because I when I want to read a book I'll just read a book.


This is the new Metal Gear survive.
It doesn't have anything to do with the IP besides the name.

If you're not a fan, you don't give a shit. Let me try to simplify this for you:
It's a game about killing things that do not die with guns, WITH GUNS.

It's the equivalent of having a Gran Turismo game with planes.
To be fair if you get downed you automatically revive (ie: regenerate) yourself because vampires.

I get that it's a bit silly sure but otherwise the vamp powers and abilities lend themselves perfectly for this type of game imo. I guess if you're some sort of Vampre Purist™ and struggle to have any suspension of disbelief it might be a problem yeah. For me it makes for a fun videogame.
 

Faithless83

Banned
Animated GIF


Also I've not played the VN stuff because I when I want to read a book I'll just read a book.
It goes to show that you never played a VN before, huh? If you think it's like reading a book, you might be surprised.
To be fair if you get downed you automatically revive (ie: regenerate) yourself because vampires.

I get that it's a bit silly sure but otherwise the vamp powers and abilities lend themselves perfectly for this type of game imo. I guess if you're some sort of Vampre Purist™ and struggle to have any suspension of disbelief it might be a problem yeah. For me it makes for a fun videogame.
It looks like another Fortnite clone without building mechanics. It will come and go and we'll still lack a good VTM game besides the original Bloodlines.
 

VN1X

Banned
It looks like another Fortnite clone without building mechanics. It will come and go and we'll still lack a good VTM game besides the original Bloodlines.
That's nice and all but wouldn't you rather be wrong about that? Imagine if you ever play it and it's good. Shocker!

Then again it might be shit and you will NEVER EVER get a good VTM game and I will laugh and piss on your grave. That might also be a nice outcome.
 

Faithless83

Banned
That's nice and all but wouldn't you rather be wrong about that? Imagine if you ever play it and it's good. Shocker!

Then again it might be shit and you will NEVER EVER get a good VTM game and I will laugh and piss on your grave. That might also be a nice outcome.
And here I thought I was the salty one for a second. Chill man, have fun with your Fortnite clone!
I won't be pissing on your grave just because I don't care about battle royale stuff.
I'm just sad about what's being done with an IP I had so many good memories with, that weird thing called "being a fan".

But hey, allow me to give space to all the attention this game and this thread will get and move my rant someplace else.
 

Denton

Member
World of Darkness and Prague..match made in heaven for an atmospheric, storydriven RPG.

And instead we get this shit. Fuck Paradox.
 

VN1X

Banned
I'm just sad about what's being done with an IP I had so many good memories with, that weird thing called "being a fan".
I think that's called "being entitled" but regarding your last comment I agree, lets go our own ways so you can enjoy your, otherwise high-brow, videogames in peace.
 

kunonabi

Member
I could be down for a vampire BR if it took out the guns and had more extensive indoor exploration with a focus on stealth and diplomacy/manipulation.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I have it installed and haven't played it yet, but plan on doing so ASAP. Another buddy of mine was streaming it yesterday, and I glanced at it periodically.

Honestly, as much as I despise BRs, it actually looks pretty interesting and fun. It's third person, fairly fast paced, and has this element of verticality thrown into the mix. Then there's all these other mechanics that I don't fully understand, but I'm looking forward to learning more about. Like, how feeding off humans buffs you. Killing mortals shows your location. The element of PVE that exists.

There's quite a few interesting things here that shake up the BR experience enough to make it more interesting IMO.

Also, yeah, kind of weird seeing the IP on a BR game. But hey, as a fan of horror related stuff, I was easily onboard. It wasn't until I saw the title where I was like, "Huh?"
 

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
Looks like shit, they couldn't find another license to destroy?
I give it 6 months before it dies in total indifference.
 

VN1X

Banned
Two hours in and while I'm getting plenty of kills every match (between 3 or 6) I never seem to be able to close it out lol. Shit ain't easy.
 

CitizenZ

Banned
Wow, this will be on life support in less than 1 hr after release. probably hoping MS calls them with easy $$$$$$ to put on GP.
 

DavidGzz

Member
I'll try it. The building and graphic style are the reasons I can't stand Fortnite so this could be cool.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom