Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines II

Heh, and that was the most exciting of those bullet points for me! Provided there’s clues or something to send you in the right direction I think it’s a good way of making you engage with the environment, characters and situations more. It also throws up more ‘secret’ quests. It’s one of the things that made Anachronox so much fun to me a few years back because there was no mini-map, just a journal containing scraps of info.

I haven’t been this excited about a game release in a veery long time. And we don’t have to worry about Activision sending it out to die, either!

This announcement finally got me to start playing the original Bloodlines. Only a couple hours in but already enjoying it a lot; I’ve owned it for years but it was always one of those games I’d get to eventually.

Looks like I’ll be able to have quite a lot of fun trying different builds which will hopefully keep me busy right until this releases.

Using any mods or going in stock?

Just reinstalled myself, and I of course added Wesp’s unofficial mod. He’s still going. The latest is from last month!

Does that come with any new bloodlines?

I didn’t read the latest version notes. It is (supposedly) compatible with Clan Quest 4.0, though, which definitely does.

I’ll play it without mods at least the first time through. Even just in the tiny bit I’ve read about the game though Wesp and Clan Quest have been mentioned multiple times so I’ll likely look at those next time through.

I don’t mod my games too often though, and only ever check out the really frequently mentioned or highly rated mods.

There’s a version of the Wesp patch that is primarily a patch rather than a mod. You get offered the choice when you install. The Wesp “plus” Patch is a mod, which I enjoy.

I do actually recommend using the latest Wesp Patch in it’s basic mode, even on a first play through b/c sadly despite my great love for VTMB it was in fact a buggy mess, and even with the official patch, it’s not 100% smooth and reliable. Also, the Wesp basic patch includes a built in high res mode which I consider essential for widescreen monitors.

As Sharpe said, above, get Wesp’s Unofficial Patch. Use the basic version (the installer will give you the option). The game still has bugs otherwise.

Apparently I’m using the Wesp patch anyway as I got it on GoG and according to the forums there the Wesp Patch (not plus) is integrated into the GoG version. So I am using one “mod” unknowingly! Perfect, no work on my part at all.

Are malkavians back in? You always have to reserve one play through for them, though probably not the first…

One man’s obsession is another man’s tuna casserole.

I never did replay it as a Malkavian.

The one co-worker who shares an office with me literally mentioned the first game Fri afternoon and we both opined on how we’d loved it in different ways. And then I came home and saw the sequel’s announcement.

The first place through was Malkavians. I should have waited. So much foreshadowing.

Many years ago, I tried a mod that added the Ravnos, but it didn’t seem completely ‘baked’.

I’ve tried to play a Malkavian, but I never get past Jack with it. The fonts drive me nuts. Too much squinting for my old eyes!

Releasing to all digital stores on day 1.

Until it runs over budget and long…

;)

Just finished my 5th playthrough of VTMB, my first in seven years. It still holds up! Well. Mostly. It’s pretty weird walking into an office there’s literally nothing in the room besides a desk and a chair. Otherwise the room is totally barren. No flair or fluff at all.

I also got the “worst” ending. The one that doesn’t reveal that Jack was behind the whole thing. For laughs.

I only just saw this bit, very interesting. Makes me think Paradox won’t try and move Age of Wonders Planetfall to EPIC exclusivity either.