Counter-Strike-Inspired Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Mode Unveiled

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Summary

  • Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines had an unfinished multiplayer mode dubbed “CounterBite.”
  • The mode would have pitted vampires vs. human hunters with unique powers and weaponry.
  • Players would earn money and experience to spend on gear, with a penalty for breaking the Masquerade.

For the very first time, a game programmer has shared details about the long-awaited multiplayer aspect of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, which was likely heavily influenced by Valve’s popular game, Counter-Strike.

In the game “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines,” there’s a significant amount of content that was initially included but later removed. Remarkably, some of this lost material has been rediscovered and reinstated by devoted fans. This includes traces of code related to a multiplayer mode that was left unfinished, which has long been known about.

As a dedicated fan, I’ve always been intrigued by the untold stories behind our favorite games. One such story involves Tim Cain, the brilliant mind behind Fallout, who joined the Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines project later on. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, he reminisced about a cut game mode that was once planned for Bloodlines, which he affectionately referred to as “CounterBite”. In this video, Tim provided a comprehensive explanation of how this Counter-Strike-inspired mode would have functioned had it been included in the final version of the game.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Nearly Had Human Vs. Kindred Multiplayer

As Cain proposed, the multiplayer setting would pit teams of vampires against a faction of human vampire hunters under the New Order of Leopold. The concept was that the vampires would possess supernatural abilities, while the humans would be equipped with superior weaponry and unique Disciplines of their own.

In this game, there will be nine distinct groups participating: the Camarilla (encompassing all playable clans), the New Order of Leopold, as well as the seven individual clans. This setup encourages vampires to engage in combat with one another. Following each round, players receive monetary rewards, and following each change of game maps, they earn experience points. These points can be used to purchase equipment and powers.

It’s interesting to note that during this game, players are expected to maintain a ‘Masquerade’, where they coexist with vampires without giving them away. Violating this rule could result in reduced rewards and resources. This idea was later adapted by the now-defunct battle royale game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt.

The modes encompass “Team Elimination,” a game in which the objective is to eliminate the opposing team, “Bloodhunt,” where one player must evade all others, “Kine,” a scenario where teams are tasked with protecting humans while stealing those guarded by the opposition, and “Embrace,” a battle in which the Leopold team aims to prevent vampires from converting NPCs into their own kind.

Sadly, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines struggled to gain traction upon its release, as it was heavily overshadowed by Half-Life 2, a smaller game also launched by Valve at the same time. Ironically, this underdog title swept Bloodlines off the shelves in sales, a fate that not even CounterBite could have prevented given the unstoppable force of Gordon Freeman.

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2025-04-12 01:08