V:TM - Bloodlines

R

Rev. Layle

A Smooth-Skin
I am thinking of picking this one up off Steam this weekend.

What patch does people here who have played recommend? Just the last official patch (which, I imagine, Steam will install) or one of the unofficial patches?

Also, can the Steam version be even patched with unofficial ones (i have the impression that you can, but I am not 100% sure).

Thanks folks!
 
Play through it once with just the official patch, then try the 5.3 patch. Add some mods with it for some added flavor.

Stay away from the Tessmage patch, but the nude mods are good for a laugh.

If this is your first time playing, you're going to love it.
 
Rev. Layle said:
Ok cool, so the official patch *does* fix a lot of game breaking issues that plagued the initial release?
Click to expand...

Yes, but not all.

Personally, I had a problem-free playthrough using just the official patch, but it's barely guaranteed. There's an off-chance you'll run into a bug, so you can use wesp's just to be sure - but it is recommended not to for the first time unless you're running into bugs. Wesp's doesn't change a lot, but it does change stuff.

wesp's is up to 5.7 now.
 
Another Tip: Don't play a Malkavian as your first character or you may miss some sense and meaning of the quests and story. The second time around you could and probably should though, it's really wicked and twisted in a good way. Have fun (I'm so envious...)
 
Noted, I have little knowledge of the V:TM P&P game, as, honestly, I really never cared for vampire crap at all (i hate vampire stories and movies in general).

But... regardless of bugs, Troika always seem to make any game/story/fun and engaging... and, it's only $20
 
Definitely pick it up. It has great atmosphere, and although this might be a huge stretch, some of the LA gothic architecture is reminescent of Fallout's buildings.
 
It's definitely a good game but I can't imagine ever playing it again. I'd recommend trying to get the most out of it from the very beginning in the first playthrough. You might not want to do another one. It's just me though.
 
nah, me too. i tried again as malkavian but got too easily distracted. might need a pause on it, or i dont know.
 
I got pissed off at the endgame being too monotonous, but up until that point, it's one of the best games I've ever played.
 
I found that the Brujah was a fun and balanced race to play as. Don't forget to get the 5.7 patch, the fixes only make it that much better.
 
I finished it once and started often a new game but always at approx half of the game I lost the interest because everywhere I think "this could be cool here and this too and if I could do this now.. this would be wow!". It's a shame.
 
2 reasons to get the game:
Vampire chick and good role playing game play element.
As others had posted here, play the game at least once with the official patch here.

Then replay the game with the unofficial patch posted by Brother None.
 
My first characater was Malkavian and it was a blast to play, mostly cause of dialogues. I love that kind of writing. I also like the Obfuscate discipline, cause I preffer stealth kills over pure action in this game.
It's not Fallout but in many ways it reminds of Fallout way more than Fallout 3 does. Writing and voice acting are certainly MUCH better than what there is to be found Fallout 3. Facial animations too.
Shit, I think I'm going to install this game again now..
 
the char i had most fun with was a UZI wielding Tremere chick. really funny. uberskinny girl that you could break like a twig (or so you'd think).

loved it. blood magic is awesome. :)
 
I played first as a male Brujah till i met with the annoying mid game bug in the hunters lair. Then i replayed as a female Malkavian, best dialog choices i have seen in a game for a long time, a true gem. Play with the latest unofficial patch (search google) for the best experience.
 
Finished it as Brujah\Tremere male (playing Tremere is the best story-wise, because you get the chantry and a bonus ending) and Malkavian female.

This game absolutly rocks ass - unooficial patch or not.
 
Ah, my favourite game, finished it 4 times. My first playthrough was with Toreador, which remains my favourite. Tremere kicks ass too, though - blood boil never gets old. I still have yet to play it as Malkavian, I will play it as him when Wesp releases the final version of his patch (hopefully 6.0?).

Anyway, I played it twice with official patches only, and ran into that crashing bug (had to use console commands to make it past it) and twice with wesp's patches - those playthroughs were no problemos. But he did change some things, for example I remember Katana was somewhere else : ).

Does anyone else think Vampire Bloodlines has quite similar gameplay to Deus Ex (apart from its linear missions structure) or is it just me?

edit- wow, 5.8 is out.
 
Played it, loved it. Got by as a smokin hot Toreador with loads of charisma and intelligence. After listening to VMB voice overs, Fallout 3 is crap.
 
This game shall forever be praised for one thing, and that is that it actually used its technology to improve the characters in the game. It still has the best NPC "acting" I've ever seen in a RPG, no contest. The facial animations are *great*, the characters themselves are intriguing and very well written and the voice acting is awesome.

Add on to that the whole Masquerade bit. I was never a big goth fan but this really felt (and still feels) like a breath of fresh air in the RPG genre.

Then again, there are problem as well. During the first half of the game, there are plenty of ways to solve quests and many opportunities to use your skills. Even so, there are a number of areas which are just restricted until you get the quest to "unlock them" which is quite annoying.
Even worse, the second half of the game quickly turns into a combatfest, and combat is pretty fucking awful in this game (somewhat remedied by some of the fun Vampire powers you can get).

Still, it's really a unique game that every RPG fan should play. I still play it every now and then (though yeah, I almost never make it past the middle of the game). Mass Effect was praised for its characters and acting, but make no mistake, Bloodlines absolutely stomps all over it in every way whatsoever.

As for characters, my first playthrough was a Toreador. I think that was a fairly good choice for a first character. You just *have* to try out a Malkavian if you replay the game though, it's hilariously awesome. Tremere is also quite a lot of fun.
 
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