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Messages - Mech#4

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151
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: April 02, 2019, 11:59:14 pm »
Yah, archetype would be more what I meant, thanks.

Another interesting character was Beckett. He's gangrel and kind of a loner but also a historian and archaeologist who's interested in discovering the truth behind things. I think he's an actual character from the rulebooks so he had more background to draw from.
I'm pretty sure Smiling Jack is Brujah but he's quite "live and let live unless you mess with me" type rather than "angry about everything".


From what I remember playing as a Nosferatu in VtMB1, yes you had to sneak around the streets to avoid masquerade violations, however once you got into any of the buildings with quest givers the reaction was more "Oh, weird costume. Is there a film being shot?" Obviously so you didn't miss out on all the side quests though it did kind of undermine the unnatural creepiness they're supposed to have. You also got neat hideouts in the sewers instead of the apartments which was a nice touch.

152
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: April 01, 2019, 09:11:50 pm »
I think the most memorable NPCs for me were Jeanette and Therese Voerman, Jack, Fat Larry, and Gary Golden. I think a lot of the NPCs, while neat like Andrei, Nines or Tung, were also quite the stereotypes of their clan.
To my mind, this is fine since VtMB was the first real introduction to a lot of these so it's a solid baseline to work off but I would like to see the second game mix things up some more with characters who have more personality of their own.


153
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: April 01, 2019, 10:46:09 am »
There is this on the Steam store page. It outlines what you can get with the different versions they offer.

The season pass have story pack 1 and 2 as well as expansion so I guess the story packs would be the extra missions that was mentioned.

154
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 29, 2019, 11:11:21 pm »
I think there was something about a lot of the lower generation vampires getting called off somewhere by the antediluvians so most of the vampires left in cities are of higher generations who this "calling" doesn't affect as strongly. They might not be as caught up about Diablerie because they're younger and more ambitious.

155
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 29, 2019, 11:09:07 am »
Quote from: Sartain on March 29, 2019, 10:44:14 am
This all pre-5th edition though. How did we even get to 5, which was 4?

I have no idea on the ordering of the editions. I do own Vampire: The Requiem.
::Reads on Wikipedia::
Original Version of Vampire: The Masquerade - Released 1991
Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition - Released 1992
Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition - Released 1998
Vampire: The Masquerade discontinued and replaced by Vampire: The Requiem - Released 2004
20th Anniversary Edition (Revived Vampire: The Masquerade) - Released 2011
Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition - Released 2018 before being pulled from publication.

So I guess Reqiuem is 3rd Edition and the 20th Anniversary is 4th Edition.


Speaking of editions. A post was made on the Steam forums by someone detailing what 5th edition states about Thinbloods. This makes a number of comments about how their clan and powers work, as well as how they can lower their generation.
Spoiler:  Copy Paste from Steam (click to show/hide)

So it seems like Diablerie may actually be an option in the game if the Camarilla aren't as hung up about it as they used to be. It still comes with large downside though, main a large humanity cost and a black-veined aura for a year. Longer if the prey is higher generation than the predator (equal to generation difference). There's also the risk of being possessed/taken over by the vampire you're diablerising if you fail.

156
Other Games / Re: SALES Thread
« on: March 28, 2019, 11:55:24 pm »
Quote from: Japa on March 28, 2019, 05:53:12 pm
If anybody doesn't have borderlands 2 or 1.5 yet and wants them, both games and all DLC are in a bundle for 95% off.

Apparently there's also some visual updates (higher resolution graphics) for Borderlands 1,2 and Pre-sequel coming for free for owners of them with a number of other updates for Borderlands 1 for a "Game of the Year" addition.
From an Ars Technica article on Borderlands 3:
"Elsewhere in the presentation, Gearbox announced a 4K remastered edition of the original Borderlands coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 3. The "Game of the Year" edition adds quality-of-life improvements to the 2009 original game such as support for customizable heads and skins, an on-screen mini-map, simplified item management, and a more challenging final boss battle. PC players who own the original Borderlands will receive this update for free, Gearbox said.

Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will also receive 4K updates through a free texture pack available for the previously released Handsome Collection, also available April 3. And Borderlands 2 VR will be receiving its own updates to support the PS4's AIM controller and four major DLC packs from the original version of the game."




In other news, Warcraft 1 and 2 have both been released on GOG.com, much sooner than I expected.
Selling for $9.00 AUD ($6.30 USD) and $14.00 AUD ($10.00 USD) or in a bundle for $21.00 AUD ($15.00 USD). They come with similar visual updates that Diablo 1 had if you wish. Warcraft 2 also comes with the "Beyond the Dark Portal" expansion.
Warcraft 2 also comes with Battle.net capabilities. Though warnings about that since it means opening ports on your router to connect that means bypassing anti-virus software.

A few months ago I actually played through both Warcraft 1 and 2, at least through the canon campaigns (Orcs in the first game and humans in the second). I enjoyed Warcraft 1. It has some mechanics quite different from 2 and 3, namely having to place buildings next to roads, though it wasn't particuarly hard since with later levels you can make armies of elementals to fight for you.
 
Warcraft 2 was good also, though I have to mention some of the later levels are easy to get into a no-win situation without realising it. Upgrading your settlement to level 3 and building ships both requires oil. This means that you need to secure oil by building a navy and defeating the A.I. on the sea early on otherwise you can get stuck with no way to attack other islands. Air units are available but they're really not that good verses ships or buildings.
Just the way Warcraft 2 manages naval units and the oil resource could have been done better I think. The rest of the games still quite fun with very nice pixel artwork for the units and buildings. Factions have very little differences between them (mostly spells and, like, one upgrade for ranged infantry).

I wouldn't really recommend the games for skirmish maps against the A.I.  I couldn't figure out how to get it working well in Warcraft 1 (it seems to choose campaign maps to set the skirmish games on. They don't really work that well) or in the case of Warcraft 2 the A.I. cheats a lot and builds much faster than you with unlimited resources. Thankfully its pathfinding is really not that good so maze-like maps can completely prevent the A.I. from reaching you.

157
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 28, 2019, 10:47:00 am »
Yah, to my mind it's like "you were sired by a Nosferatu so you are also a Nosferatu". The clans to me don't seem like signing up to your favorite club, rather it's different vampiric strains like the ones in Morrowind. I think part of the distinction of Caitiff was someone who was turned but not educated or brought into their clan heritage.

Though, thinking, a lot of the clans could be rather indistinguishable at the weak levels shown by Thinbloods. Is that one a Toreador, Ventrue, Malkavian, Gangrel or Brujah? I don't know to what degree a Brujah is influenced by their blood to be more rebellious or, rather, is that just because they prefer to turn people who fit into that catagory? Like Toreador preferring artists or Ventrue preferring rich elites.

Malkavians and Nosferatu have more apparent elements, gaining psychological issues and appearance respectively, and there was the possible Malkavian Thinblood in the first game who had visions and could give you directions and forsee your future to a degree.



Quote from: Retropunch on March 28, 2019, 10:32:30 am
Thanks for the list!! Great to see.

Quote from: Mech#4 on March 28, 2019, 10:05:47 am
I suppose part of this would be determined by how long the game has been in development before it was announced. Preferably 2 years otherwise we might see some of these items listed drop off towards release.


There was a tweet somewhere from one of the developers saying that it had been in development since Paradox bought the IP - so about 4 years I think. I do imagine that some of that will drop off though, or at least become slightly more constrained versions of it - stuff like the verticality - it sounds like it'll be lots of climbing and stuff, but may just end up with a few areas with 'jump buttons'.

I'd like to know how close the trailer gameplay was to the actual gameplay - I know it had a big disclaimer on it (which is great) but it'd be good to know. Regardless, from everything I've heard it sounds like they're definitely on the right tracks!

That's good to hear on the development time.
I got the impression from the trailer that it was not in-game engine. I think these images from the Steam page are in game and closer to what we can expect visually (with the usual caveat that lighting and visuals can change between now and launch):
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4

158
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 28, 2019, 10:05:47 am »
Taken from a post someone made over on Reddit, here is a list of details that have been mentioned about the game so far:
 
Spoiler:  List (click to show/hide)


Some of these sound quite interesting like being able to scale buildings, larger human crowds and modding support. I also like the sound of secret and hidden areas and NPCs reacting to your background, though that last one reminds me of other games that do that by a few characters early on with a lot of these smaller details tapering off towards the end, VtMB1 being an example here funnily enough.
I suppose part of this would be determined by how long the game has been in development before it was announced. Preferably 2 years otherwise we might see some of these items listed drop off towards release.

There should be some interesting stuff for them to draw from 5th Edition. One thing I read was that there was a large Masquerade break and a lot of the more powerful people in the world now know that vampires and such exist. This could lead to the player having to deal with anti-vampire equipped military squads which would be neat, or dealing with humans who are in the know beyond ghouls or vampire hunters.

Another thing that people are discussing is how exactly they're going to have the player go from being a Thinblood to being of a clan.
My understanding was that Thinbloods were already part of a clan, they just had really weak powers and traits (going off the guys on the beach in the first game). Diablerie is one possible solution but that has quite a lot of taboo issues within the Camarilla and other groups, not mentioning it marks your characters aura with black veins and other potential side affects.

159
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 22, 2019, 08:14:24 am »
Quote from: JimboM12 on March 22, 2019, 07:12:32 am
ptw, the first one was one of my favorite rpgs ever (after patching, of course). The ability to play as a thinblood is interesting, so i can walk around during the day? Cuz honestly, that would be kinda cool. With the addition of blood types, i wonder if we can make our own ghouls too? So much to wonder and hope for.


That would be neat. VtMB had Heather who was a ghoul for the player and you had to deal with the ramifications of taking someones freewill away from them and the danger it put them in being associated with you.

Seeing the player character get more powerful over the game and losing more human aspects (walking outside, being able to eat a bit) would make for quite an interesting story arc.

160
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 22, 2019, 06:08:46 am »
Quote from: Hanzoku on March 22, 2019, 05:53:32 am
spoiler-ific ahoy, but...

my take on the ending of Masquerade is that while it's set during the end times (I am pretty sure the taxi driver is Caine), the events really don't do a lot to advance the Armageddon-clock. I think that despite everyone getting their vampiric panties in a twist, the corpse in the coffin was really just a (non-ambulatory) mummified human, and I distinctly remember Jack kicking back with a beer to watch the light show while his coffin full of explosives removed that twat of a Prince. The prophecies around the coffin basically became self-fulfilling because everyone ended up putting so much weight on them.

the PC is sort of an enigma from the first game, because in a few short weeks you basically go from newly embraced to being able to beat a Prince several generations ahead of you to a bloody pulp. Your (supposed) proginator wasn't all that impressive as he/she was captured and executed by the Sheriff, and you don't commit diablerie during the game, so where does the massive strength come from?

Yeah, this is generally my understanding of things from Bloodlines 1 with Caine being responsible for your characters quick rise in power (Caine can basically do anything). Though I think I usually assumed the corpse in the coffin was an antediluvian but with new writing and the new game, eh, no problem if it's not. Writing a series out of an inevitable doomsday plot is quite difficult I imagine.


I do hope the new game explores some of the other factions and clans like the Sabbat and Tzimisce. Sabbat in Bloodlines 1 they were depicted as not much more than generic bad guys but there's also them trying to stave off Gehenna by killing all the antediluvians before they awaken, and it would be fun to play as a fleshcrafting Tzimisce.

161
Other Games / Re: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 22, 2019, 05:39:13 am »
Quote from: LoSboccacc on March 22, 2019, 05:13:50 am
Quote from: Akura on March 22, 2019, 05:02:26 am
Interesting. Will this take place in the Old World of Darkness or New?

Spoiler: Reason I ask is (click to show/hide)

yeah I was following closely the development to see if they would then advance the continuity, but everything got dropped and then I went out of the setting after I lost my play group. wonder where they are at now.


I was going to include this in the original post but it was getting a bit too waffly for my tastes.

While I'm not an expect, this is my understanding of everything from my readings.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 1 takes place in the Old World of Darkness. This involves the whole Gehenna plot with the end of the world being fortold by the appearance of Thinbloods (vampires who are so weak generationally they have no to little distint features of their sires clan), the awakening of the antedeluvians (ancient vampires who are the progenitors of many of the vampire clans) and appearances of Caine, the original vampire cursed by God for killing his brother and not repenting.

This all ended in the RPG in a book called The End Times where the Vampire world did end and all that. This made way for the New World of Darkness with the book Vampire: The Requiem.
Vampire: The Requiem is not connected to the OWoD, neither is it a continuation. It's more of a rewriting with more vague beginnings for why vampires exist while continuing the stories past Gehenna into the 21st century. I think there's only about 5 vampire clans (Ventrue, Nosferatu, Daeva, Gangrel, and Mekhet) who were also split into minor bloodlines (for example, the Malkovians (note spelling) were a subset of Ventrue).

Edit: (I realise I left a bit out here). Work begun a few years ago on writing a new 5th Edition for Vampire: The Masquerade that would make both OWoD and NWoD available to play, with the Old World being updated to continue beyond the Gehenna plot.
However, due to international issues caused by content in the 5th Edition splatbooks for Vampire: The Masquerade they were pulled from sale and White Wolf Publishing no longer exists with all their holdings going to their parent company since 2015 Paradox Interactive.


To put it simply. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 takes place in the Old World of Darkness with the same clans and factions of Bloodlines 1. As for whether Gehenna occured or not... I'm not too sure on that. I assume Paradox Interactive are rewriting content to replace the pulled books as there was quite a bit that fans weren't too happy about them.

162
Other Games / Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
« on: March 21, 2019, 11:55:23 pm »
Well, it seems like this is a thing coming now. Developed by Hardsuit Labs and published by Paradox Interactive it appears to be a close sequel to the original including having the designer and writer from the first game Brian Mitsoda working on the team.

Trailer for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2  Note: Not actual gameplay footage.
Steam page.
Release Date: Q1 2020.

Going from an article written up by Rock Paper Shotgun I'll make a list of details on the game.
- Set in 21st Century Seattle
- Turned then thrown out after a firebomb kills the trial. Similar to the first game.
- Has masquerade mechanic and humanity to look out for.
- Multiple hubs
- Customisable character including human background (Like cop, coroner or barista) that can affect situations. Also choosable pronouns for character.
- Can choose your clan. Tremere mentioned
- Start as Thinblood. Work your way up in the clan. Diablerie?
- First person combat.
- Options for avoiding combat by navigating environment.
- Branching narratives, side quests.
- Choose which faction you work for. Can annoy the other factions to the point they refuse to work with you.
- Humans have different blood flavours called Resonances. Based off of emotions (Fear, desire, pain, joy, anger, etc) these can give bonuses and you can end up aquiring a taste for specific resonances.
- Other clans added after launch for free.
- Likely DLC.



Um, oh boy! I lreally like the first game and hope this will be a suitable sequel. There's not much in the way of actual mechanics explained in the write up so I can't tell how much RPG elements this game will have.
Part of me is rather skeptical. The original game, for all the fun I had with it, is also really flawed and kind of a product of too much ambition and half finished ideas. Like one of their other games made by Troika Games, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. It changed a lot over it's three year development as whole areas and plots were added, changed and dropped.
I'm still looking forward to this. A great deal of enjoyment from the first game was the over-the-top gothic, gloomy mood of the game that knew not to take itself too seriously but also knew when to drop the silly and be quite scary at times (looking at you haunted seaside hotel).


Apparently the game is set in a rebooted version of the Old World of Darkness that White Wolf started up to run alongside the NWoD from Vampire: The Requiem. The first game involved end of the vampire world stuff with Gehenna and antediluvians waking up, bad stuff.
What this means is that this game should have a lot of the same clans and factions from the original game. That means Tremere, Malkavians, Toreador, Gangrel, Ventrue, Nosferatu and Brujah. If they're adding other clans later on we might also see some that weren't playable in the first game like Giovanni (Incestuous necromancers), Followers of Set (Egyptian god themed vampire powers) and Tzimisce (erudite, monsterous flesh crafters).

Edit: Added release date and note about trailer.

163
Other Games / Re: Total War: Warhammer! Now with 2!
« on: March 15, 2019, 12:00:25 pm »
Hm, I guess the URL was too long linking it from Dropbox. I've put it on Tinypic so it should work now, yes?

164
Other Games / Re: Total War: Warhammer! Now with 2!
« on: March 15, 2019, 11:40:38 am »
I'm trying a mod that adds the Strigoi as a faction. Pretty good so far, aside from some spelling mistakes here and there.

I'm currently attacking Galbaraz, since it's a stand in for the capital of Mourkain. My zombies are climbing over the walls and my Strigoi, lead by Ushoran himself, break down the gate and charge inside. Ushoran leaps and claws at the goblin leader, quickly reducing the little gits health. I close in to watch, removing the U.I. as one of the Strigoi nearby grabs the goblin and starts slamming him into the ground, reducing him to a pair of feet and flinging the remains away.
"How brutal!" I think as I close in on the goblins feet. However, apparently the goblin wasn't done for just yet as his remains get up and start running away, Ushoran in hot persuit of the legs and floating sword and staff.
Spoiler:  Ushoran has never seen anything like it. (click to show/hide)


Edit: Image should work now?

165
Other Games / Re: Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead - 0.C is out! Our monsters fight each other!
« on: March 15, 2019, 12:42:30 am »
@Erk: While I've fiddled around with GitHub, since I'm completely new to it I think I'll instead upload the files zipped to Dropbox and link to them here.
Linky link here.

I've included all the monster I've done so far in this 7z pack including two versions of the bat, one large and one small. I'm happy with either one being used so I'll leave it up to you if you don't mind. It also has a modified decayed zombie with a less prominent mouth.

As always any suggestions from you or anyone else here are more than welcome.

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