Game News Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 RPG & Narrative Stream

[Infinitron]

Tags: Paradox Interactive; The Chinese Room; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/...de-bloodlines-2/news/rpg-and-narrative-stream

Good evening Kindred,

Today we shared some very exciting news on our Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 news stream! We were joined by Sean Greaney (EVP of Darkness) and Ian Thomas (Narrative Director at TCR), who discussed some of the game’s features relating to both narrative and roleplaying. In case you missed it, you can find it below.

In the stream, we were introduced to the protagonist of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2; Phyre, an Elder vampire at odds with the voice in her head, who confronts Seattle’s powerful elites at war over the City’s fate.

Players choose Phyre’s clan and gender and begin exploring a reimagined Seattle filled with compelling characters while maneuvering through complex relationships. Choices and conversations (even outfits!) shape how the environment and characters react to Phyre, changing how the story unfolds.

We are happy to share that over the coming weeks we will reveal the four clans playable at launch. The first will be revealed next week. In addition to these four clans, an additional clan will be made available via DLC. A sixth clan will appear in a unique, standalone DLC. Details on the DLCs will be shared during 2024. Some of the clans will be familiar to Bloodlines players, but some will surprise!

If you still want more, we can recommend checking out our live-play chronicle Seattle By Night season 2, as Jason Carl leads our Coterie on a journey through Seattle, encountering challenges linked to the events that will unfold in Bloodlines 2.​

 

[MasPingon]

Seems like they are heavy inspired by classics

 

[Bester]

If they're gonna use these facial animations, might as well remove them like how Dark Souls did. Would be more believable if I imagined them talk than the way they actually do talk. It's real bad...

 

[Tyranicon]

Game: No, you can't pick the protagonist's name.

Players: Oh, that's disappointing. Well, at least we'll get an iconic name that will encapsulate the power of an elder and the game's narrative quality, instead of something derivative, bland, and substituting a Y for an I like its early 2000s again.

Game: .... Your name is Phyre. Deal with it. Buy our slop.



It'll never end, will it?

 

[Bester]

It'll never end, will it?

No. Strong men have created good times. Good times have created weak men. This will only get worse and worse, and it'll keep going for decades.

 

[Roguey]

If they're gonna use these facial animations, might as well remove them like how Dark Souls did. Would be more believable if I imagined them talk than the way they actually do talk. It's real bad...

They put "POST ALPHA" on those videos so people will know this isn't what they expect it to look like when it's finished, but it appears hardly anyone ever bothers to pay attention anyway.

Game: .... Your name is Phyre. Deal with it. Buy our slop.

Racist against Armenians. Lot of Turks and Spiritual Turks revealing themselves!

 

[Infinitron]

like its early 2000s again.

...based?

 

[Bester]

his isn't what they expect it to look like when it's finished

Except it's exactly how it'll look when it gets finished.

 

[Roguey]

Except it's exactly how it'll look when it gets finished.

That's a possibility. Bit early to say that now, they have a year left to go.

 

[Tyranicon]

Game: .... Your name is Phyre. Deal with it. Buy our slop.

Racist against Armenians. Lot of Turks and Spiritual Turks revealing themselves!

Should've picked a more manly (gender neutral) Armenian name like Arax instead.

I don't know why the protag needs a name at all if you don't allow the player to name them. Just call them "The Elder" and be done with it.

 

[Roguey]

I don't know why the protag needs a name at all if you don't allow the player to name them. Just call them "The Elder" and be done with it.

So other fully voiced characters can address you by name of course.

 

[Delterius]

I don't know why the protag needs a name at all if you don't allow the player to name them. Just call them "The Elder" and be done with it.

So other fully voiced characters can address you by name of course.

i hope they let us make a phyre phestival in game

 

[Alienman]

I don't know why the protag needs a name at all if you don't allow the player to name them. Just call them "The Elder" and be done with it.

So other fully voiced characters can address you by name of course.

Should have gone with Fampy.

 

[Bester]

I don't know why the protag needs a name at all if you don't allow the player to name them. Just call them "The Elder" and be done with it.

So other fully voiced characters can address you by name of course.

He literally preempted your argument with "just call them <newcomer/elder/whatever>" and you respond like he didn't. I voted you retard of the year by the way. You get me going with your stupid shit a lot, even if most times I don't respond.

 

[Roguey]

He literally preempted your argument with "just call them <newcomer/elder/whatever>" and you respond like he didn't. I voted you retard of the year by the way. You get me going with your stupid shit a lot, even if most times I don't respond.

People referring to you by a title (or just your surname in the case of Mass Effect) is something done out of necessity, but it doesn't have to be that way. They want characters calling you by a name, not a title, is what I'm saying.

 

[Konjad]

They just shown one minute long or so 2 dialog snippets and already made it clear the writing will be trash and the game will be a disappointment.

I don't know why did I even hope for anything else.

 

[Konjad]

This is peak modern game writing in here too:

PC: "Do you know anything about it?"
NPC: "No no no I just needed to keep my head down a few nights!"
PC [Intelligence 99, Wisdom 99, Perception 3000]: "HE'S HIDING SOMETHING!"

HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HECK THAT WAS UNEXPECTED! GEEZ, THIS WRITING IS GENIUS! I'D HAVE NEVER GUESSED HE'S HIDING SOMETHING, AND HE'S ACTING SO GREAT, A TRUE TRICKSTER!!! GAMING WRITERS COME TO GREAT LENGTHS TO DELIVER SCHEMES AND INTRIGUES!
10/10 - "A true masterpiece of our times" - IGN
10/10 - "Let us truly experience what it means to be a 100 year old vampire who wakes up from a coma with a modern hairstyle" - Cucktaku
10/10 - "This is what women and minorities struggle with" - RetardEra

 

[Roguey]

PC: "Do you know anything about it?"
NPC: "No no no I just needed to keep my head down a few nights!"
PC [Intelligence 99, Wisdom 99, Perception 3000]: "HE'S HIDING SOMETHING!"

To be fair it's the retarded voice in your head telling you something you already know.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

They went so far into androgyny with this character design that it almost doesn't even look like a person.

Whatever. Just tell me it has pronouns and trannies so I can skip it.

 

[jaekl]

Except it's exactly how it'll look when it gets finished.

That's a possibility. Bit early to say that now, they have a year left to go.

Come on buddy, you've been around the bend enough times to know what's coming. Maybe if the game wasn't being released for another 10 or 20 years, you could say that some improvements might be made, but in one year? In one year, they could perhaps make some minor eyebrow adjustments that have a 65% chance of causing a bsod and corrupting your hard drive when implemented.

 

[Rieser]

Tags: Paradox Interactive; The Chinese Room; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

​

​

Good evening Kindred,​

​

Today we shared some very exciting news on our Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 news stream! We were joined by Sean Greaney (EVP of Darkness) and Ian Thomas (Narrative Director at TCR), who discussed some of the game’s features relating to both narrative and roleplaying. In case you missed it, you can find it below.​

​

In the stream, we were introduced to the protagonist of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2; Phyre, an Elder vampire at odds with the voice in her head, who confronts Seattle’s powerful elites at war over the City’s fate.​

​

Players choose Phyre’s clan and gender and begin exploring a reimagined Seattle filled with compelling characters while maneuvering through complex relationships. Choices and conversations (even outfits!) shape how the environment and characters react to Phyre, changing how the story unfolds.​

​

We are happy to share that over the coming weeks we will reveal the four clans playable at launch. The first will be revealed next week. In addition to these four clans, an additional clan will be made available via DLC. A sixth clan will appear in a unique, standalone DLC. Details on the DLCs will be shared during 2024. Some of the clans will be familiar to Bloodlines players, but some will surprise!​

​

If you still want more, we can recommend checking out our live-play chronicle Seattle By Night season 2, as Jason Carl leads our Coterie on a journey through Seattle, encountering challenges linked to the events that will unfold in Bloodlines 2.​

​

Players choose Phyre’s clan and gender​

​

Phyre​

 

[processdaemon]

If anyone doesn't want to watch the whole thing here are the first and second clips of game footage.

Overall I'm disappointed with what's on offer, I don't care about the crappy animations but 'Phyre' and the terrible dialogue/ VA are worrying. I can only blame myself for getting hopeful

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Players choose Phyre’s clan and gender

Wait a minute. Did they choose an androgynous character so they can just have the player select male/female and just swap out the voice actors? Are they really that cheap?

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Players choose Phyre’s clan and gender

Wait a minute. Did they choose an androgynous character so they can just have the player select male/female and just swap out the voice actors? Are they really that cheap?

Hope not. That would be a new low...

 

[Roguey]

Wait a minute. Did they choose an androgynous character so they can just have the player select male/female and just swap out the voice actors? Are they really that cheap?

No, they clearly mark it as a female model. The male model isn't ready yet, it's just there in concept art.