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'''''Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines''''', abbreviated as '''''Bloodlines''''' or '''''VTMB''''', is a [[computer role-playing game]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] developed by [[Troika Games]] in [[2004 in video gaming|2004]]. Like [[Activision]]’s ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption]]'', ''Bloodlines'' is set in [[White Wolf, Inc.]]’s ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' universe, but it is not a sequel to the earlier game. The game allows the player to choose one of several different [[Vampire: The Masquerade#Clans|vampire clans]] and progress through the game according to the different strengths and weaknesses of the player’s character, as in its paper and pencil role playing origins. |
'''''Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines''''', abbreviated as '''''Bloodlines''''' or '''''VTMB''''', is a [[computer role-playing game]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] developed by [[Troika Games]] in [[2004 in video gaming|2004]]. Like [[Activision]]’s ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption]]'', ''Bloodlines'' is set in [[White Wolf, Inc.]]’s ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' universe, but it is not a sequel to the earlier game. The game allows the player to choose one of several different [[Vampire: The Masquerade#Clans|vampire clans]] and progress through the game according to the different strengths and weaknesses of the player’s character, as in its paper and pencil role playing origins. |
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''Bloodlines'' is notable for being the first game along with ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' to use [[Valve Software|Valve’s]] [[Source engine]], which allows the game to be played from either the [[first-person shooter|first-person]] or [[third-person shooter]] perspective. It is also Troika Games’ third title and the last to be made before Troika closed down in February [[2005 in video gaming|2005]]. |
''Bloodlines'' is notable for being the first game along with ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' to use [[Valve Software|Valve’s]] [[Source engine]], which allows the game to be played from either the [[first-person shooter|first-person]] or [[third-person shooter]] perspective. (This is actually not true - Hidden and Dangerous did this earlier, and I am sure there are probably other games too). It is also Troika Games’ third title and the last to be made before Troika closed down in February [[2005 in video gaming|2005]]. |
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==Introduction== |
==Introduction== |
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Revision as of 21:07, 6 July 2008
| Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Troika Games |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | Jason Anderson, Leonard Boyarsky, Tim Cain |
| Engine | Source engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | NA November 16, 2004 EU November 19, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Horror action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, abbreviated as Bloodlines or VTMB, is a computer role-playing game for Windows developed by Troika Games in 2004. Like Activision’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption, Bloodlines is set in White Wolf, Inc.’s Vampire: The Masquerade universe, but it is not a sequel to the earlier game. The game allows the player to choose one of several different vampire clans and progress through the game according to the different strengths and weaknesses of the player’s character, as in its paper and pencil role playing origins.
Bloodlines is notable for being the first game along with Half-Life 2 to use Valve’s Source engine, which allows the game to be played from either the first-person or third-person shooter perspective. (This is actually not true - Hidden and Dangerous did this earlier, and I am sure there are probably other games too). It is also Troika Games’ third title and the last to be made before Troika closed down in February 2005.
Introduction
The game begins with the creation of a character of one of seven Camarilla clans, either male or female. Players can choose to manually pick his or her clan and stats or can answer a series of questions to be assigned stats. Once a character has been created, the introductory sequence begins with an in-game cinematic of a lascivious vampire Sire embracing the player's character. Shortly after "the Embrace," both the player and his or her Sire are captured by the Los Angeles Camarilla for the unauthorized act. The player’s Sire is executed at the order of the Prince, Sebestian LaCroix, the leader of the Camarilla in Los Angeles, and for a moment it seems the player will also be executed. However, Nines Rodriguez, who was in the audience as a representative of the Anarch community, jumps up and calls the Prince out, and he relents.
Gameplay
Bloodlines is a role-playing game with the choice between first person and third person perspectives. The player character's ability to overcome obstacles is in many cases a mixture of player and character abilities, with character stats determining the effectiveness of actions, and player abilities determining whether or not the actions succeed. For example, the ability to move silently and avoid being detected is heavily influenced by the character’s Dexterity and Stealth ratings; however, if the player does not stay in the shadows while sneaking past enemies, the character can still be detected.
The player character increases in power dramatically during the course of the game through the expenditure of earned experience points on attributes, skills, and vampire abilities called "Disciplines". A multitude of items, weapons, and books can be found or purchased to make the player character even more powerful. Melee and ranged weapons exist in equal numbers, although only in the later stages of the game.
How the player interacts with the game world varies depending upon which clan the player character belongs to. Differences range from different dialogue options becoming available to certain quests becoming available or unavailable. The most notable gameplay differences are experienced by those who play as Malkavian (due to their insanity, dialogue options are often non sequiturs, making it difficult to conduct conversations and negotiations; Malkavians also encounter numerous bizarre moments during gameplay, such as television sets and stop signs speaking to them) and Nosferatu (who, in order to avoid Masquerade violations, are restricted to traveling the city via the sewers and who do not have access to any gameplay options involving seduction).
Unlike most CRPGs, the experience needed to increase stats and skills is not awarded for killing enemies. Experience points are awarded solely for completing quests, no matter how many creatures the player eliminates in the process (though the quest objective often involves killing). This encourages the player to complete quests in creative ways and significantly increases the game's replay value.
The game invokes penalties and rewards for certain behaviors in the game's non-quest (i.e. non-combat) areas. Players are penalized for exhibiting vampiric abilities in front of humans by the loss of Masquerade points, which can also be reinstated by performing actions to protect the Masquerade. If the player loses 5 Masquerade points, the game ends. Also, the player is able to gain and lose "humanity" points, which have an impact on how well the character can be controlled when his or her blood supply is low (which can cause the character to go into a potentially Masquerade-violating feeding frenzy at the wrong time). Humanity points are awarded for acts of kindness, such as finding alternatives to killing certain NPCs. They can be taken away if the player character kills a human outside a combat zone, intentionally or not, or if the character commits an inhumane deed such as stealing money from a charity. Unlike Masquerade points, the game does not end if the player humanity level drops to zero, but the player's character is more likely to enter frenzy. Experience points can be used to purchase humanity points.
Storyline
The storyline of the game is dynamic. This comes not only from the presence of numerous optional quests, but also from the existence of five different endings. The plot revolves around a mysterious archaeological artifact called the Ankaran sarcophagus, believed to contain the body of an ancient vampire (Antediluvian) in torpor. As the various factions of L.A. conspire to obtain this artifact, or to foil each others' attempts to do so, the player must decide whom to trust: Prince LaCroix, Regent Strauss, the Anarchs, the Kuei-Jin, or remain independent.
However, the in-game storyline does not change regardless of what is done, and all the core missions still need to be completed. For example, if the player decides to side with the Anarchs, they will still need to obey Prince LaCroix, as they are told to act like they are still loyal. The only storyline-affecting choice is when the character chooses his or her allegiance near the end of the game.
Characters
Locations and objects
While the areas found in Bloodlines are based on real places, they do not completely resemble their real-world counterparts. Based in the World of Darkness, the locales are significantly darker and more run-down than their real-life Los Angeles counterparts. There are however many landmarks, such as the Santa Monica Pier and a Chinese theater which complement the feel of each locale.
Santa Monica
Santa Monica is the starting area and is considerably run down. Thin Bloods are present at the beach and law enforcement is poor, among other things. It is home to the Asylum nightclub, the blood bank, a local diner, and the haunted Ocean House Hotel. The player's first home or "haven" is located above Trip's pawn shop.
Elizabeth Dane
A small-scale cargo ship, the Elizabeth Dane was discovered by fishermen who received no replies to their radio hails. Maritime law enforcement agencies subsequently discovered signs of an incredibly violent struggle onboard, but they were unable to locate any remaining signs of the crew. Aside from a cracked container holding the Ankaran Sarcophagus and a stolen package, the police were unable to locate anything else of note.
Downtown
Downtown L.A. is home to the local Camarilla, based in the Venture Tower, and street side Anarch movement, based in the pub The Last Round. The area is also the location of Club Confession, the Empire Hotel, the Nocturne Theatre, Skyeline Apartments, the local Tremere chantry, among other areas of secondary interest, like the condemned hospital. Depending on choices made by the player he or she may be given a haven "upgrade", receiving access to either an apartment in the Skyeline building, the Chantry, or in the sewers, depending on the clan being played.
Hollywood
Hollywood is Anarch territory, claimed by the Baron Isaac. It houses the Asp Hole and club Vesuvius, both owned by vampires. The Chinese Theatre and cemetery are local landmarks, although the Theatre is currently abandoned (apart from a stone Gargoyle which the player may choose to kill or assist during a quest), and there is a serious cemetery problem — overseen by Isaac's ghoul, Romero — which the player can resolve in a number of ways. The Nosferatu are also headquartered here, though no one knows where exactly.
Chinatown
Chinatown is Kuei-Jin territory. Almost universally avoided by the native western vampires, Chinatown is the headquarters for eastern vampire holdings in L.A. and the surrounding areas. The head of the local Mandarinate is Ming Xiao, a shapeshifter who rules from the Golden Temple.
Ankaran Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus that was previously discovered an untold number of years ago by Church authorities and subsequently re-buried, it was rediscovered by the Norwegian archaeologist Dr. Johansen, and was on its way to an American museum for examination. Bloody handprints on its surface found while onboard the Elizabeth Dane indicates it may have been opened from the inside.
The Vampires of Los Angeles circulate rumors that the sarcophagus holds an Antediluvian, a third-generation vampire, one of the eldest and most powerful in existence, and also a sign of Gehenna, the Vampire "end of days" scenario. The vast majority of them believe that it should never be opened, or destroyed entirely.
Beckett believes it to hold nothing more sinister than an Assyrian king, a hypothesis confirmed by Dr. Johansen, who however brings to note that this king was attributed with 250 years worth of achievements. While he notes that previous royal names were probably just erased, or that the name was passed onto subsequent generations, he chuckles at the idea that the king could have lived to 250 years of age.
The surface murals depict figures drinking bowls of blood, which Dr. Johansen stipulates was more of a result of rituals or simply the royalty's way of dealing with porphyric disorders, rather than any proof that whatever lies inside is a vampire.
Organizations
Camarilla
The Camarilla claims that all vampires are its members, regardless of their actual affiliation. They are the enforcers of the Masquerade — - rules all vampires must abide by in order to keep their existence safe and hidden from mortals. Beaten out of Los Angeles through brute force by the Anarchs 60 years ago, the Camarilla have recently returned to the city, with LaCroix leading the effort to establish a new presence. Headquartered in the downtown area, they are having trouble consolidating power due to opposition from the Anarchs. A Camarilla member who claims domain over a city is called a prince. LaCroix is the prince of L.A. during the course of the game.
Under the Camarilla, each clan is led by a primogen, usually the eldest representative in the city. Three are named in the game: Maximillian Strauss (Tremere), Gary (Nosferatu) and Dr. Aleister Grout (Malkavian).
Anarchs
The Anarchs maintain a steadfast belief that the authoritarian control proposed by the Camarilla is unnecessary. The majority of Anarchs are Brujah, due to their idealistic tendencies. An Anarch who claims and keeps domain over an area is called a Baron. The two in-game Barons are Isaac Abrams of Hollywood and Therese Voerman of Santa Monica. Isaac, a Toreador, is far more civil than the typical Anarch, but nonetheless hates the Camarilla just as much. Therese, a Malkavian, however, is not as loyal, and seeks to join the Camarilla. However, her 'sister' Jeanette, also a Malkavian, works alongside a Camarilla Nosferatu, Bertram Tung, to undermine Therese's attempts at becoming Prince of Santa Monica.
While Anarchs can be found in many North American cities, they are largely regarded as immature and foolish, unable to achieve anything on their own. However, an Anarch revolt in 1944 led to the slaying of Don Sebastian, the Toreador Prince of Los Angeles, and the establishment of the "Anarch Free States" — a zone on the West Coast where several large cities were put under Anarch control. This changed in the early 2000s, as a Kuei-Jin attack on L.A. weakened the Anarchs enough for Sebastian LaCroix to step in on behalf of the Camarilla. The fate of most of the previous Anarch leaders is unclear, but it is stated that the previous "leader" of the movement was slain by the Kuei-Jin.
The Last Round is a bar in downtown where the Anarchs Nines Rodriguez, Smiling Jack, Damsel, and Skelter gather.
Sabbat
Disliked by just about every clan not allied with them, the Sabbat relies heavily on overwhelming force to achieve its goals. This unsophisticated tactic garners Sabbat members a reputation as brutish idiots, but their willingness to abandon what remains of their humanity for bestial fury and their strong blood ties to their packmates make them feared by all opponents. The Sabbat push into L.A. is part of a larger effort to encroach on Anarch and Camarilla holdings close to the West Coast and the Mexican border. The leader of the L.A. Sabbat is a Tzimisce named Andrei, who occupies the Hollowbrook Hotel in downtown.
Kuei-jin
Vampires native to China, the Kuei-jin (also known as Cathayans) have gained a foothold in Los Angeles as part of a larger globalization drive spearheaded by their home authorities, and have taken the local vampiric population largely by surprise. The Kuei-jin are not actually vampires in the Western sense, as they consider themselves to be reborn for a purpose, but because of their similarities, they are referred to as Asian vampires. The locals look upon them as demons due to their wildly powerful abilities and differing worldview. Based in Chinatown, they are seen as dangerous invaders. The local leader, Ming Xiao, resides in the Golden Temple.
Development
Troika officially began work on the game in November 2001, but the nearly three-year-long production cycle was plagued by many problems.[1] Because Valve's work on opponent AI was not completed in time for Troika to show Bloodlines at a press event, Troika wrote their own AI routines, which never worked as well as the code that Valve eventually developed. Early attempts by Troika to create a multiplayer mode and levels working were unsuccessful and eventually the feature was abandoned. The original writing team was replaced midway through the project, causing most game levels and dialogs to be completely revised.
When Troika had not completed a playable Santa Monica hub with combat and discipline usage that met Activision's satisfaction after more than two years of development time, the publisher took several steps to bring closure to the troubled project. First, Activision increased the budget to add Troika's second development team to the project in March 2004, after they had completed work on The Temple of Elemental Evil. Next, it sent the game's Activision producer and two testers to work on-site at Troika's offices until the game was completed. Finally, it set a deadline of September 15 for Troika to produce a Code Release Candidate.
Troika delivered the Code Release Candidate on the required date, though it left the development team in low morale. Due to the game's size and complexity, the Code Release Candidate took three weeks to test, but on October 4, 2004, Bloodlines went Gold as Version 1.0. Since contractual obligations with Valve would interdict Bloodlines to be released before Valve's debut of the Source engine in Half-Life 2, Activision did not publicly announce that the game had gone Gold and instead gave Troika an additional week to polish the game, after which Bloodlines Version 1.1 underwent another three weeks of testing. The second version of Bloodlines shipped on November 16, 2004, the same day that Half-Life 2 was released.
Patches
There were still many technical and playability bugs in the released version of Bloodlines, but none were judged to be serious enough to further delay shipping the game. After Bloodlines was released to the public, Activision compiled a list of problems customers were reporting to its customer service department and on various Vampire websites. It then authorized Troika to spend a week creating a patch to address the most serious issues. However, Troika's inability to find revenue from another project had already forced the developer to lay off all its employees in two waves, except for the three owners: Jason Anderson, Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain. Despite this, several employees continued to work without pay on the Version 1.2 patch, which after three weeks was released on December 22, 2004.
Unable to find additional work, Troika disestablished itself in February 2005,[2] leaving behind an essentially unfinished game with numerous remaining bugs. Fans of Bloodlines continued to create and release unofficial patches to address this situation.
Unofficial Patches
Two lines of unofficial patches currently exist: The first "unofficial" patch series was started by Dan Upright and then continued by Werner "Wesp5" Spahl and members of the Planet Vampire community. The default "basic" installation mainly applies bugfixes and restored content with relatively minor impact on the gameplay. On top of this a "plus" version can be installed which includes further gameplay alterations, including new weapons, disciplines, occult items, quest items, and action sequences, based on content left over from development hidden in the installed game files. The latest release is version 5.4[3],released on June 12, 2008.
An alternate line of patches, the "True Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Patch" series, was started by Acrimonious and Tessera on the Tessmage.com forums with assistance by several forum members. It is intended to be a patch to the official 1.2 version which only fixes bugs found in the original game. A very limited amount of unfinished game content has also been restored in the True Patch. The latest, and possibly final, release is version 5.04AT with hotfix #4[4],released on February 10, 2008.
At this time, an error occurs with this game on systems with more then 3.5 gigs of RAM, causing the game to revert to lowest quality textures.
Marketing and sales performance
Bloodlines sales underperformed in the first few weeks, selling 72,000 units ($3.4 million)[5] despite generally favorable reviews.[6]
A factor in Bloodlines' failure to sell could be the release of Valve's first-person shooter Half-Life 2 at the same time, going against earlier plans about postponing the release of Bloodlines until Spring 2005 so that it would not compete against Half-Life 2 during Christmas.[7]
Additionally Bloodlines, like Troika's previous games, received a high level of criticism for technical and playability bugs in its initial release. This was escalated by the delay of a patch to address those problems.
After Troika's disestablishment, Bloodlines became available from online distribution systems like GameTap, Direct2Drive and later Steam.
On Halloween of 2007, Valve ran a promotion and temporary discount for the game on Steam.[8]
Reception
Tom McNamara of IGN gave the game an 8.4 out of 10, saying that the visuals and in-depth RPG elements were of high quality but the combat and especially the AI were lacking, and called it a "grand RPG but a flawed gem of a game".[9]
Computer and Video Games praised the game for its execution and flair, but resented it (and Activision!) for the number of bugs and the discontinuation of technical support immediately after the game's release. They named it "the best buggy game ever".[10]
Models
Three models were hired to be used for references when designing the official promotional images such as wallpapers [1]. These same three models were also used to promote the game at certain events like GenCon 2004, E3 2003 and Bloodlines official launch party.
The models portrayed the characters:
- Jeanette the Malkavian (who features in most of the promotional art) (model, Erin Layne)
- Max Schreck the Nosferatu
- Ming Xao the Kuei-Jin
Soundtrack
A number of songs were licensed for the game. The song "Bloodlines" performed by Ministry had lyrics written specifically for the game. The music is a revised version of the song "So What". The soundtrack was released through Best Buy stores for customers who pre-ordered the game. The tracks are as follows:
| Title | Written by | Performed by | Courtesy of | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Swamped" | Marco Coti Zelati, Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro | Lacuna Coil | Century Media Records | In the Asp Hole and at the end credits |
| Cain | Johan Edlund | Tiamat | Century Media Records | In Asp Hole (Hollywood) |
| "Bloodlines" | Al Jourgensen | Al Jourgensen/Ministry | Sanctuary Records | In Club Confession (Downtown) |
| "Needles Eye" | Written by F.G. Reiche | Die My Darling | ||
| "Come Alive" | Daniel Ash | Daniel Ash | In Glaze (Chinatown) | |
| "Pound" | J. Blackwell, H. Cummings, S. Smith, C. McCall and M. Wolfe | AERIAL2012 | ||
| "Isolated" | Emileigh Rohn | Chiasm | COP International (License) | In The Asylum (Santa Monica) |
| "Lecher Bitch" | Jennifer Vincent, David Vincent and Vincent Saletto | Genitorturers | In The Last Round (Downtown) | |
| "Smaller God" | C. Elen, J. Thomas, and S. McManus | Darling Violetta | In the Empire Hotel (Downtown) by a human singer, and on the Thin Bloods' radio at the Santa Monica Pier | |
| "Angel" | Massive Attack | A non-vocal version is used as the main menu music ("vampire_theme.mp3"). |
References
- ^ "David Mullich: The Interview". TeaLeaves.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Troika closes". GameSpot.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines Unofficial Patch". The Patches Scrolls.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines "True Patch"".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Troika Games Officially Closed".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines reviews: metascore 80". metacritic.com.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Vampire Bloodlines delayed". Eurogamer.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Steam News, October 26 2007
- ^ "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Review". IGN. November 17, 2004. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ "The Greatest PC Games That You've (Probably) Never Played". Computer and Video Games. November 3, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-21.