As a seasoned veteran of the World of Darkness, I must say that my heart aches for the souls who suffered through the unforgiving challenges posed by Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. With years spent honing my skills as a Toreador, I’ve witnessed the beauty in the dance of stealth and diplomacy, and the raw power that comes with being a Ventrue or Tremere. But alas, my dear Nosferatu brethren were left out in the cold, their gameplay experience marred by an unforgiving difficulty curve that felt more like a cruel joke than a fair challenge.
In virtually every title labeled as a Vampire game, from the epic Soul Reaver series to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, there are aspects of the supernatural characters they portray that have been overlooked or not fully realized. Even in games with intricate world-building and captivating narratives, developers may unintentionally omit some details or include elements that might not be favorable.
In regards to “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2“, the anticipation is high, especially since The Chinese Room has shifted its launch date to early 2025. The question arises, what exactly are fans hoping for from this game? Is it a focus on the storytelling elements reminiscent of the original IP, or a more action-packed experience akin to contemporary RPGs that emphasize combat? This compilation includes all the pitfalls “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2” should undeniably steer clear of.
6 Repetitive Combat Patterns
It Tires Players Out, And Makes The Game Predictable And Boring
- Pros: Saves a lot of development time
- Cons: Every enemy looks the same, players get bored easily
A significant issue often found in contemporary Role-Playing Games (RPGs) is their tendency to create encounters that blend together, making it challenging for players to differentiate one enemy from another. As a result, combat situations can seem rather monotonous. Typically, each battle sequence follows a similar pattern: Choose a strategic position to avoid alerting enemies, employ some stealth tactics, potentially eliminate a few enemies in stealth mode, get detected, and then engage in an all-out assault reminiscent of Rambo’s style of combat.
In the game set within the World of Darkness universe, where we embody a potent Elder Vampire, we’re often faced with combat against lesser beings. One might wonder why repeat this cycle when we could use our unique abilities to become mist and evade these foes, reaping rewards without direct confrontation. This concept is reminiscent of Dishonored, which introduced an environmental stealth system instead of simple dodging. However, the game Vampyr also featured repetitive combat, which was enjoyable but ultimately left some gamers feeling unsatisfied with its portrayal of an immortal, powerful character. So, the question remains: why stick to this pattern when other possibilities exist?
5 Breaking The Masquerade
One Of The Crucial Aspects Of The Lore Should Be Handled Carefully
- Pros: It’s a great mechanic and intrinsic part of the lore
- Cons: Limits the player in more than one sense, should be treated with care
In the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, it’s crucial for players to keep in mind that the Masquerade is not just a rule to protect vampires but also their allies such as Ghouls and human minions. This concept was a significant feature in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, where players had to tread carefully to avoid setting off a Bloodhunt. Now, wondering how Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will manage this mechanic? Will the game gradually penalize players for exposing their true nature to humans, or limit their actions in specific regions of the game?
In the sequel, Elysiums and human nightclubs are expected to be primarily social spaces where attacks on individuals are prohibited, similar to the original game where nightclubs played a significant role in restoring humanity points. However, the question remains whether these mechanics will interconnect in the upcoming game.
4 Relying Too Much On Visuals And Forgetting The True Nature Of Vampires
Every Vampire Fan’s Dream, But VTM Veteran Players Know This Is A Problem
- Pros: Makes characters look more appealing to the general audience
- Cons: Keeps the true nature of Vampires outside the gameplay loop
A common complaint about Vampire-themed games across the genre is their excessive focus on the aesthetically polished and fashionable vampire archetype, a concept largely popularized by authors such as Anne Rice. However, in the World of Darkness (WOD), not all vampires fit this impeccably dressed mold. In fact, there are many who embody a more free-spirited nature. The conventional image of the vampire often portrays them as 19th-century nobles seamlessly integrated into modern society. While they may appear that way on the surface, this is merely a stereotype.
Consider characters such as Becket or Smiling Jack from VTM – Bloodlines;they may not appear messy, but they still make an impression without resorting to stereotypes. One is a scholarly character, the other is a rebellious Anarchist vampire who occasionally takes a stand against the Camarilla’s authority.
Regarding the Camarilla’s role within the game, here’s how I envision it: In Vampire: The Masquerade, factions play a significant part. Given that we’ll be assuming the role of the “Sheriff” in Seattle, which is essentially a Camarilla-centric position. However, vampires are known for their unpredictability, with their values and alliances often swaying based on personal whims.
3 Punishing Players For Their Choices
A Growing Trend Among RPGs Should Be Avoided At Any Cost
- Pros: Allows devs to easily translate narrative into gameplay, giving a sense of player agency
- Cons: The carrot and stick forces players to pick good outcomes to get the best rewards
One of the aspects of the original game that was so controversial was its insane level of difficulty if players made certain narrative choices. In every traditional RPG, stats are important for the outcome of gameplay, more so if players keep in mind that certain stats are placed there to make their lives easier when it comes to choosing a playstyle. What happens if the stat system is unnecessarily constraining the player, and basically bars them from getting the best possible outcome? Isn’t the purpose of RPGs to provide alternate routes for reaching the same goals, encouraging players to use their wits and adapt?
One option is giving players the choice and the outcome of said choice as part of the narrative of the game. Another entirely different option is punishing players who want to solve things in an alternate or outside-the-box way, and that is usually bad. Most RPGs give players this false sensation of agency, while in reality, they just offer one or two (with luck up to three) “right” dialogue choices to set things in motion and discover “the best possible outcome.” That is not player agency; that’s just bread-crumbing with extra steps, and it would be a mistake to do that in a deep RPG that caters to an adult audience.
2 No Bullet Sponge Enemies, Please
Another Weird Way To Spike Difficulty, But It Shouldn’t Be Necessary
- Pros: Easy to design, easy to make players recognize the power spike of a boss encounter
- Cons: Negatively impacts on player’s vision of the game world, breaks immersion, boring
In the realm known as the “World of Darkness,” numerous formidable entities dwell, including Vampires, Werewolves, and on rare occasions, Mages or Hunters (Changelings are scarcely encountered and cannot be mixed with others). Contrary to popular belief, these beings are not invincible. Although Vampires rank among the most powerful creatures in existence, along with Werewolves, they do not possess immortality in a functional sense.
As a gamer, I find it refreshing to engage with supernatural beings that exhibit unique strengths and weaknesses, making each encounter thrilling. For instance, Vampires might shrug off a few bullets here and there, but they’re not invincible. On the contrary, Werewolves demand special attention due to their resilience against common damage, but only under specific conditions, like silver.
1 Level Of Difficulty Based On Vampire Clans
The Biggest Mistake VTM – Bloodlines Made
- Pros: Makes gameplay styles easily distinguishable from one another
- Cons: Players might feel some classes are more favored than others
One reason gamers found Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines particularly challenging was the unwritten rules tied to Clan selection and how game difficulty scaled based on these choices. For instance, opting for the socially-awkward Nosferatu Clan, which essentially acts as a “Masquerade breach machine,” required players to focus on a stealthy playstyle. However, certain parts of the game failed to accommodate this stealth approach, leading to a high probability (90%) of revealing the vampires’ true nature and causing frequent game over screens for Nosferatu characters. This could leave players who wanted to play as Nosferatu feeling frustrated because they hoped to experience the full game without encountering unfair deaths.
In a different approach, it’s worth noting that Toreador, Ventrue, and Tremere were less physically oriented, yet maintained power levels for almost complete game completion, and retained the ability to stealth like Nosferatu without social disadvantages. However, Malkavians introduced an unpredictable element, often blurting out future visions in dialogues that added complexity to the gameplay experience, making it less enjoyable for some character builds or narrative conclusions. This issue could potentially be addressed by balancing the clans, or more specifically, the clan types, in this instance. As we anticipate Bloodlines 2, it appears that The Chinese Room has made a prudent decision by limiting the initial Clan selection to four: Banu Haqim, Brujah, Tremere, and Ventrue. Given their current status, Tremere may remain overpowered in the game. It’s uncertain whether additional Clans will be introduced in the future, but if they are, it remains to be seen whether players will have freedom to play as they wish or be compelled to follow a specific clan path. The answer lies ahead.
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2024-08-30 08:34