Hey Era, Let's Play/Replay Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

[Dusk Golem]

https://www.gog.com/game/vampire_the_masquerade_bloodlines

Game will run on a toaster, so don't need a gaming PC to experience it.

If playing on Steam, make sure to install the Unofficial Patch: https://www.moddb.com/mods/vtmb-unofficial-patch/downloads/unofficial-patch-106

The patch is included automatically in the GoG version (so don't need to redownload or apply the mod if buying off GoG), but isn't included in the Steam release. It mostly fixes bugs and some crucial fixes to the game, it's balance, and some game breaking bugs. That's the main reason to install it, as it fixes a lot of crashes, progress bugs, etc.

However, when installing there is an optional choice for a "plus" patch (which is turned off by default, but can be selected when installing) which add in several scrapped areas and missions from the base game that were cut due to time and re-implement them fully functioning (and include a few more controversial "fixes" to the game for playability reasons).

---

I'm sure now with the announcement of the sequel with Bloodlines 2, many people are going to get around to playing the original game for the first time, or replaying it in anticipation. That includes myself, I had played a bit of Bloodlines in the past, but never finished it but meant to someday. Now's a perfect chance to do so, and as there probably are many people who are going to play the game now in wake of the sequel, let's have a thread talking about the game, our experiences with it for those going in blind or going to play it again. Ask about mods to apply besides the one I posted in the topic, your time with the game, what it's like going to it in 2019, whatever.

PLEASE mark your spoilers, as a number here are probably playing it for the first time.

I won't be started really until next week, but installed and will be sharing my thoughts here as honestly even though I had played it for a few hours before, I hardly remember it and it's been ages. I think it'll be fun to collectively talk and play it here with the sequel a year out now though.

 

[vestan]

Gonna share this classic guide

 

[Bradford]

I'm definitely going to reinstall and give Tremere a try this time.

Also, I'm pretty sure the GOG version of the unofficial patch is older than the current release. May be worth mentioning in the OP.

So excited.

 

[texhnolyze]

Gonna install tonight.

 

[Massicot]

I was surprised that the Unofficial Patch has had multiple updates this year. Dedication.

Might try to play through this this weekend while I wait for Outward next week.

 

[thebigword]

I've always been curious about this game. I might try it out after I finish Sekiro.

 

[Fat4all]

I replayed it a few year back and I'm getting itchy over here just thinking about reinstalling it

 

[Dusk Golem]

I'm planning to go in myself rather vanilla. I debated adding the "Clans" mods that add some clan specific quests and new branches to the game I hear are very good (and many recommend it), but as I've never played the game all the way through I'd rather take the canon story for this playthrough especially keeping in mind the sequel is coming (I do hear the characters are faithful to the lore of Vampire: The Masquerade, but I want to see what the game establishes by itself).

I have decided to use the Dev0lved ENB mod though: https://www.nexusmods.com/vampirebloodlines/mods/10/

Mainly just to make the game a bit prettier:

Click to shrink...

 

[xrnzaaas]

Oh man, it's so tempting to replay the game. I'm beyond busy right now, but I'll definitely do it this year, I still have my GOG version. :)

 

[Barnabas Reynolds]

Gonna give it another go. Had terrible stuttering last time. Frame-rate would drop by about half, recover, then do it all over again maybe ten seconds later. Was such a distraction I stopped playing. Using an 8400/1080 Ti combo

 

[Kasai]

Bought on GoG and I'm stoked to give it a go again some time soon.

I might even finish it this time.

 

[DarkFlame92]

Man what a game. The graphics haven't aged well for sure though

 

[SirFritz]

I'd highly recommend using the basic patch not the plus patch. The plus patch changes way too much (new quests which are mostly terrible) and adds in way too much random stuff. The creator loves to randomly change things for little reason (moving npc locations, adding random doors where there never used to be). Might be gone but recently the creator even added random all your base meme music in for instance.

 

[KaiLeng]

Replayed as a ventrue lady not long ago. Reactivity to your choice of clan and other attributes is still awesome. Atmosphere is still king. And the graphics are a bit aged, but nothing too terrible. Play it, people, the sequel is getting everyone hyped, but immerse yourself in the one that started it all.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

Play as a Malkavian
Trust me on his.

 

[Deleted member 9857]

is the plus version of the patch worth it or no?

I haven't honestly touched the game in over a decade because I got distracted from it ^_^;;

 

[TheMrPliskin]

I've got way too many games on my plate right now but I think I'm still going to do replay. I've had the itch for a while and the sequel announcement seems like the perfect excuse to finally replay the original.

 

[Dusk Golem]

is the plus version of the patch worth it or no?

Click to shrink...

One person in this thread answered above (who is in favor of not installing it), but I was curious and did some research of my own as someone debating this very point.

But I found this reply on the Steam forum from a pro opinion on it to contrast a bit (and did align with some things I've read elsewhere on Reddit):

I too had the same question last week when starting the game for the first time. I did some research on various forums.

Some people said that unless you are a diehard and plan to beat the game several times it might be fun to start on Basic and then install plus on a later playthrough to see what has been restored.

On the other hand most people said that it is a step backwards to not install Plus even if it is your first playthrough because Plus restores original content from the game, changes item locations or characters & moves them around to ideal locations (this might confuse people who remember their original locations - & they're not there) but it makes more sense. Also, the difficulty has been made easier & the game is more flexible to play.

I went with installing Plus with my first go through. I am currently 10 hours in and the game is fantastic.

I suggest installing Plus. Also make sure you use the High Res patcher which will be an option at the end of the unoffcial patch installation.

Lastly, I suggest navigating to the Extras folder which was added when you patched your game and installing SweetFX. I have custom preset settings that make the game much more realistic looking. Most of the game is set in very dark settings little to no light and with the default renderer it looks way too bright...

Have fun!

Click to shrink...

It sounds like it comes down a bit to personal preference. Of note if you want the closest to the released experience, use Basic as Plus takes a few liberties and does things like change a few item/NPC locations to account for the added content, and also makes some segments of the game less of a chore (but implements some scrapped quests, not all of which everyone is fond of). There's some give and take with it, but it also doesn't seem to drastically change anything or add anything to change the game up much (though does add a few Easter eggs and areas that were not originally planned, just developer decided to add).

I'm opting to try it with the Plus patch, but I think if you want to try the closer to the original options, to go with the Basic patch.

 

[Massicot]

I went ahead and uninstalled the Plus part of the patch.

I messed around with some ENB and Reshade settings and had difficulty finding one I personally gelled with. So many either make the game TOO dark (imo) or just went overboard on the processing effects.

(I know making the game darker is the point of many of these but still)

I think I'm going to just go with this older but solid SweetFx preset:
https://sfx.thelazy.net/games/preset/666/

 

[water_wendi]

Play as a Malkavian
Trust me on his.

Click to shrink...

Definitely play as a Malkavian but not if its your first time playing. There is an exception if you are already familiar with the WoD though.

 

[ThreepQuest64]

Finished it (again) couple of weeks ago; the last third or quarter of the game was worse than I remembered. The first quarter is still the best. Great game!

 

[mrglcs]

Bought it on GOG. My first ever playthrough will begin tonight!

 

[CaptainKashup]

I never played this game, only heard of it.
What's so great about it ? I'm genuinely asking, to see if I'll give it a try.

 

[Dandy]

I'm gonna finally try and finish a Malkavian playthrough.

 

[AverageFisk]

I'm gonna go through the game with Nosferatu this time, think it's the only clan I have left.

 

[ThingsRscary]

I never tried this game before. Is there any remastered or upgraded version I can play?

 

[xrnzaaas]

I never tried this game before. Is there any remastered or upgraded version I can play?

Click to shrink...

Yes, it's called a modded version. ;) You can install the stuff recommended by the GOG installer or add extra mods by yourself for better/more personalized playthrough. :)

 

[Dusk Golem]

I never played this game, only heard of it.
What's so great about it ? I'm genuinely asking, to see if I'll give it a try.

Click to shrink...

I am going in mostly blind (I played it for a few hours years ago, but forget a lot of it and going to hop back in myself), but here's a few YouTube videos made recently when I dug into it (I also suspect more to creep up with the sequel announced now):

I never tried this game before. Is there any remastered or upgraded version I can play?

Click to shrink...

Apparently the GoG version, or the Steam version with the "Unofficial Patch" linked at the top of the OP, is the way to go.

 

[Deleted member 1656]

My advice for new players: don't feel bad about godmoding through the Sewers/Warrens and the big combat areas late in the game.

It sounds like it comes down a bit to personal preference.

Click to shrink...

It's certainly preference. I like the Plus version. The weird stuff it adds is worth it for the great stuff.

 

[Cyn]

I haven't done a full playthrough since the game launched. I played as a Gangrel I believe to make combat a bit easier.

I've tried a few time since then to replay it, even with the mods, but I always seem to lose interest after the Ocean Hotel. I'm tempted by a Malkavian run because it looks insane, but I'm unsure if I should play one of the other races as a "revisit" playthrough.

Are the other races worth looking in to? I know that Nosferatu and Malkavian have quite dramatic changes to the experience and play, but what about the others?

 

[Deathglobe]

I need to go back and play as a Malkavian and Nosferatu . I always end up picking Tremere and using blood magic

 

[Psyrgery]

Don't. Open. It.

 

[lazerfox]

Play as a Malkavian
Trust me on his.

Click to shrink...

:thinking:

 

[Joe Spangle]

Ok im in, must have bought this in a sale and forgotten about it. Not played it before. Loading it up now.

 

[derFeef]

Is the plus patch recommended over the GOG/unofficial patch version?
edit: Already answered above, sorry :)

 

[Deleted member 401]

Just installed it. Let's see if I can get around to finishing it before the sequel comes out.

 

[Hell Shinobi]

So i still have my original copy but how do i play this?

Everytime i try to install it i get this error:

Hmmm last time i played a PC game was in 2004/05 after i finished Half Life 2 so it's been a few years i guess...

Also my laptop has this error everytime i boot it up:

I hate computers....

 

[brokenswiftie]

Its also on sale on Humble Store if you want a steam copy
you just have to install the unofficial patch manually which is pretty straightforward

 

[Kinsei]

I'll start up a new character tonight. I think I'll go Nosferatu this time.

 

[matrix-cat]

I was hoping a thread like this would pop up. I've been thinking about playing this game for years but never got around to it. I already own it on Steam, and I've just downloaded the unofficial patch, so when I can tear myself away from DMC5 I'll finally load it up.

 

[Stone Ocean]

I definitely will

Cheating through the sewer level because I need my sanity for the sequel.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

This is going to have to be my next purchase. I've been hearing for so long how great it is.

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

Just bought the game on gog and going to play it for the first time. For some reason i never got around to play it all these years allthough it seems to be right up my alley. I always heard it was kinda similar to the original Deus Ex (in terms of vibe, world building and different playstyles) which is my fav game of all time. Is this accurate?

Anyways with the announcement of the sequel today i'm finally going to give it a go. Excited.

 

[Milena]

I have no intention of digging through my stuff to find the CDs again. Guess I'll buy this again on GoG and save time.

I should try a Malkavian, I've played Tremere, Toreador and Brujah in the past. I've also tried a Nosferatu, but couldn't finish that playthrough...

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Has someone compiled a list of high res textures and visual overhaul mods? I haven't played the game in so long but I'd love to have this in an easy to access list so I can download, install and go.

I also remember one mod that changed certain things in the game. Nothing major. I'll have to find that.

 

[jon bones]

Thanks - been meaning to try this game!

 

[Hamster0]

After the trailer last night, I bought this on GoG. Can't wait to dive back in, I played it a long time ago, but never finished.

 

[Luxorek]

It's been ages since I've played it last. I don't think I ever finished the whole game, but I do remember certain parts of it vividly. The mansion, brrr...

Purchased it on GOG now. Will see how it goes this time.

 

[Dest]

I've been meaning to play this anyway. Will 100% pick it up on GOG tonight.

 

[Mupod]

Play as a Malkavian
Trust me on his.

Click to shrink...

For me I wouldn't recommend doing it on a first run because a huge part of what I loved about Malkavian was noticing all the differences from the 'normal' game. The small change in the radio dialogue at the start really stuck with me.