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Let's deck into the BLOODNET (Undead Version)

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076
Since IMAGESUCK has put codex on the black list, in order to see the images you must do this : LINK


In my crazy quest to play old forgotten gems, I decided to take another shot at Bloodnet (1994). You know what that means... LP. Maybe. The thing with Bloodnet is that many years ago, me and a friend played this trippy game quite a bit at his Amiga. Not that we got to finish it or anything, I don't think we even managed to advance much, it was just great to spend time in that mysterious futuristic city.


The setting, the dialog and the characters is what makes Bloodnet such an interesting game. It manages to blend Cyberpunk, vampires and noir with surprisingly good results... Yes, you heard correctly. It's about 80% Shadowrun and 20% World of Darkness. As for the gameplay, it's a non-linear Adventure/RPG with a lot of choices and consequences. So, if it's such a great game, why is it mostly unknown? Well, because it takes a lot of effort to get the hang of it. The UI sucks, combat is clunky, and the game can be unforgiving.


Hell, I had already played it in the past and I was at loss in the beginning. I couldn't even find the damn inventory, because while everything else is accessible via mouse interface, in order to get to the inventory you have to press "1". ORLY? Not to mention that I got stuck in cyberspace for a while, trying to find the stupid menu that lets you exit. And that's nothing. Your character has two meters called Humanity and Bloodlust. As time passes, your bloodlust increases. Get 100% bloodlust and you loose the game. Suck some humans dry to ease your bloodlust and your humanity decreases. Get zero humanity and you loose the game. You bit the neck of a plot-critical NPC ? -You're fucked. You stayed too long in cyberspace ? -Your brain melts. A party member dies ? It stays dead for good, no revivals, no resurrections, rest in peace brutha/sistah.



But as soon as you get the hang of things, you realize that the developers really poured their souls into this game. As I said, the setting is superbly realized and the characters are very well written. On the other hand the box covers weren't that great. What the hell is that ? A vampire with a surgically implanted cell-phone ? A failed experiment of Dr. Mengele ? Maybe that's why he's in such a bad mood.


bloodcover.jpg




Hmm, that's a bit better. But not much. How do you expect to sell games if you don't have semi-naked goth babes with cyber bikinis on the cover ?


bloodnet-cover.jpg







Bah, let's start the game already.


intro_000.jpg



Yep, those people developed some good titles during the Incline™... Ahh, that's it at last. A blood-red bat with a circuit-themed background, simple, effective and right to the point. It has blood, it has bats, it has nets... yeah. I'd prefer a cyber-Ozzy eating a bat, but ... whatever.


intro_001.jpg





It's time we entered the BloodNet.






HUBS:







PS1: Let me now if you actually want to see this LP.
PS2: Just so you know, this has been partially under the influence of Alcohol.
PS3: If you're Bloodnet veterans, share your wisdom.


 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076



-=-PROLOGUE-=-








bnlogo.png

BLOODNET said:

BloodNet occurs 100 years from now in a dystopian high-tech future, a future our world is coming to. The BloodNet world is an information tyranny ruled by the TransTechnicals megacorporation. The Company controls access to, and use of, cyberspace. Only those who are registered with the company can access the information and services in cyberspace. In theory, that is...





people.png

THE UNDERGROUND said:

New York teems with people who illicitly surf the edge, in the quest for information freedom. This unaffiliated mix of isolated hackers, data angels, anarchists, street gangs and tech gangs are collectively known as the Underground. In the background, an constant war between TransTech and the Underground is taking place.





city.png

THE CITY said:

Manhattan 2094 is a dystopian necropolis in which a high-tech elite thrives amidst a claustrophobic urban nightmare. A place where the difference between night and day is lost in the perpetual glare of fluorescent lighting on the toxic pollution lingering throughout the city. The city is secondary. Cyberspace has become the locus of human economic and leisure activity. With people leaving the real world behind, Manhattan (and the rest of earth's cities) have fallen into disrepair.





stark.png

THE HERO said:

You are Ransom Stark. Some years ago you were a low-paid employee of TransTechnicals. The Company forces its employees to stay in Cyberspace far longer than it is safe. The extended and repeated exposure to virtual reality resulted in your contracting the Hopkins-Brie Ontology Syndrome, a condition in which the sufferer has difficulty distinguishing between the real and the virtual world.

You were summarily dismissed from TransTech and begun wandering the mean streets of Manhattan. You surely would have died a beggar's death, had you not been discovered by a teenage street gang and taken to Deirdre Tackett's clandestine workshop. From this hidden laboratory, Tackett pursued her private vendetta against the Company. Tackett rescued you by inserting into your brain a neural implant designed to modulate your perceptions and enable you to retain your grasp on reality.

Given a new beginning you established a reputation in the city as a reliable freelance. But you never forgot Deidre Tackett, the woman who was your savior.





vamp.png

VAMPIRES said:

In the year 2094, New York City suffers from a new threat of urban violence, a new wave of paranoia - the Vampire Plague. The streets are abuzz with talk of these hellspawn creatures and reports of their attacks fill the media daily. Rumors fly and people are unjustly accused. People have seen the damage they have done, but never the vampires themselves...






chargen_000.jpg







Ok, time to create a character. You either get to pick some pre-made ones or go for the manual generation. In the manual mode you don't get to actually distribute points to your attributes but you are prompted to answer questions and your answers will determine your stats.

chargen_002.jpg



Even if you can't create a character exactly like you want, I find this way of character generation quite fun. There is a degree of randomness in it and some of the questions are hilarious.

chargen_003.jpg



As you can see I'm picking mostly the badass answers. Apart from the obvious fact that , yeah, I'll be playing a badass dude, I want answers that will lead to good fighting stats.

chargen_006.jpg



You need good physical and combat skills to survive in Bloodnet. Ranged weapons seem like the best choice. I'm not sure about blades, I'll try them out at some point.

chargen_008.jpg


FACT: Most locations and people mentioned here exist within the actual game.

chargen_009.jpg


You can recruit other party members to do jobs that require cyberskills or mechanic skills. So no worries if you suck at hacking.

chargen_011.jpg



Hmm, is the INCUBUS a legend, or does it actually exist ? Incubus rhymes with succubus, doesn't it ?

chargen_019.jpg



Agility also seems like an important attribute since dodging danger is a must.

chargen_023.jpg





Ok, enough with this. We've answered the 20 questions and we won this guy right here. We're offered another 20 points to allocate. I put them on Agility and Observation, these two seem important especially for fighting vampires. Actually this guy sucks compared to NPC's you can recruit. Any guy you create will suck. Accept it and move on.

We can also pick a portrait. Naturally, I picked the one with the x-treme smug expression. Yeah, this is definitely Ransom Stark.

chargen_030.jpg



:smug:


 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,140
Good luck, you will be raped in every orifice possible before you even notice (and yep, myself didn't knwo how to exit cyberspace as well :) )
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076
"and yep, myself didn't knwo how to exit cyberspace as well"

Yeah, the ingenious menu appears only if right-click on the far-top part of the screen. It's one of those games that require a lot of trial and error to proceed.
 

Martin

Educated
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
678
Location
Lusitania
Good game, not much of an rpg per se but good game. Have some good memories of it.
Very good atmosphere and dialog in general. Definitely deserves an LP.
 

Brother None

inXile Entertainment
Developer
Joined
Jul 11, 2004
Messages
5,673
I played a little of this game ages ago but never got into it, for obvious reasons.

Hells yeah to this LP
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076



-=[II]-ON.A.COLD.EVENING.IN.MANHATTAN-[II]=-








intro002.jpg



Notice the old-fashioned black cape and blood-red hills. Dead giveaway. This is either a whore or a vampire. My money are on vamps.

intro003.jpg



I chose the correct portrait, alright. Smugness all the way.

intro006.jpg
intro007.jpg


Melissa Van Helsing ? ...Mindfuck.

BN_Stark.jpg
My lucky day. The name's Ransom Stark.

BN_Melissa.jpg
I know. I've heard of you. Looks like clients aren't exactly beating down your door, Stark. I'm here to make you an offer. Pays fifty grand. Interested ?

BN_Stark.jpg
Fifty grand ? There isn't much I wouldn't do for fifty grand.


TIP: don't try the cd-version with the speech, the voice-overs suck. Thankfully, you can turn them off. You also get a cool cyberspace video with the CD version... not. Fuck it, just download the 7 MB version. Listen to me and you'll prosper.

intro011copy.jpg
intro013.jpg


BN_Melissa.jpg
Just do what you're hired to do, Stark. You'll get your money. Then we'll talk.

BN_Stark.jpg
Where do I find you ?

BN_Melissa.jpg
Uptown at 666 W. 125th Str. The penthouse. I'll be waiting.


666 the number of the beast, hell and fire are soon to be released. Word.


intro017.jpg


FACT1: We're professionals.
FACT2: We're fast and loose, yeah.

intro019.jpg
intro020.jpg


BN_Melissa.jpg
Relax. You'll get what's coming to you.

BN_Stark.jpg
That's what I'm counting on.

BN_Melissa.jpg
You've got real attitude, Stark. Too bad we hadn't met under different circumstances. I'm not usually one to got for low-rent mercenary types.

BN_Stark.jpg
Don't knock it until you've tried it. Besides, you're not exactly standard issue. What's your story anyway ? You come out of nowhere with the most unusual , captivating looks I've ever seen in a woman, Then offer me a fortune, for a job I could do in my sleep. I couldn't wait to get up here to see you again. I'm not sure I like what you're doing to me.

BN_Melissa.jpg
Don't knock it, till you've tried it, Stark. Come here.

intro029.jpg
intro030.jpg


BN_Stark.jpg
Yeah. A woman pulled me out of the gutter and saved my life with that thing.

BN_Melissa.jpg
Another woman, Stark ? I'm almost jealous.

BN_Stark.jpg
She was a friend. A good friend. I haven't even talked to Tackett in years. Heard she was somewhere in the Greenwich village warrens. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her.

intro035.jpg



huba huba

intro036.jpg



Hey, are those fangs or are you happy to see me ? Or both ? And what's that evil figure in the distance? Is he , like, your daddy and thingies ?

intro040.jpg
intro041.jpg


BN_Abe.jpg
You do not yet see the seriousness of your position. You shall.

BN_Stark.jpg
Naaa, I think I'll be seeing the door.

BN_Abe.jpg
No, Stark, you will not leave this room until I have tasted of you.


What the... You dirty old faggot ! You faggy old dirtot ! You... YOU... you beautiful bastard ... :oops:

intro046.jpg
intro045.jpg



At least he just wanted us to feel his mouth. Stark can survive vampirism if his manhood is intact... Kinda.


intro049.jpg



But however you look at it, Stark is screwed. No let me rephrase that... Stark is FUCKED. period. 'Nuff said. R00fles.
TRANSFORM !


transformw.jpg





...


intro061.jpg



...



intro064.jpg
intro065.jpg


BN_Stark.jpg
But...But... why?

BN_Abe.jpg
I can use a freelance with your talents. When we 've captured Tackett and taken from her the information that we need, I will be but one step from attaining power over Manhattan, Cyberspace, and beyond.

BN_Stark.jpg
And you think I'm gonna help you ?

BN_Abe.jpg
You already have. Giving me Tackett is like handing over the INCUBUS --the ultimate icebreaker-- to me. Come, you must be weak after what you've endured. Let us venture outside and select your dinner.

BN_Stark.jpg
Sorry, Abe, After-death experiences always turn my stomach. I ain't hungry.

BN_Abe.jpg
Hahaha, you don't really have a choice, you're under my com-


:SMACK:

intro074.jpg



A good old-fashioned punch out of nowhere always does the trick. You didn't expect that Abe, did you ? Nor did I, but who am I to complain. I'll just get the hell out of here...


intro078.jpg



Ok now, we're at Tackett's Laboratory. Things don't look good. Hey, what's this ?

intro080.jpg
intro081.jpg



It seems our neural implant can talk. Either that or Stark has gone bonkers.

BN_Stark.jpg
I feel both awful and great. My whole body aches but I feel strong enough to kick through a wall... My teeth... they are sharper... I....

BN_Inplant.jpg
Get a grip on yourself, Ransom. Current inputs are confusing enough. I need less babble and more analysis.

BN_Stark.jpg
Hey, I'm doing my best here... Analysis ? I'm becoming a Vampire, it seems. Except for some reason, I'm able to resist Van Helsing's domination. Maybe you have something to do with that ?


intro086.jpg
intro088copy.jpg



BN_Stark.jpg
You're saying I'm not damned yet ? There's still hope ?




Yes, dear Stark, there may still be hope. You're not entirely screwed. You may have only have like no more than 3% possibility to survive. But, yes, there's still a glimmer of hope.




BN_Stark.jpg
Fuck yeah. :smug:




That's my Stark.


 

Angthoron

Arcane
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
13,056
Sweet stuff. Interesting though, looks like cyberpunk games have a frequent theme of a helper, like Metal and Blackbird? Or is it more of an exception?
 

RK47

collides like two planets pulled by gravity
Patron
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
28,396
Location
Not Here
Dead State Divinity: Original Sin
This is a wild game. I finished it once. And what a blast. I was literally so close to losing to the time limit mechanics of this game.

And yes, what the implant said is true. You will succumb to the Vampirism if you continue to waste time and it's Game Over. It seems like a trademark of Microprose games like Champions of the Five Realms.

How I wish modern games implement such a mode.
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076
Well, the implant isn't as talkative as other helpers. From now on it will mainly pop up to tell you you're close at getting fucked by : bloodlust/cyber-exposure and other imminent hazards.

As for finishing the game, yeah, I'm not sure I'll manage to reach the end.
 

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Be careful of the time limit (though its kinda fun - i fucked up and literally had to go back a while to rush the ending - and still ended with about 40s to die). Also make you character very resistant in combat. Don't say i didn't warn you at the end.

Edit: I actually did a prolog solver for one of the cyberspace puzzles. Its just a little system of equations but i wanted to see if prolog could handle it descriptively (without implementing reduction rules or anything - it could with the import of a module).
 

Rabidredneck

Liturgist
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
303
I acutally owned this game so many years ago, my sisters friend gave it to me. It's not just a clunky UI you have to deal with, it's really easy to fuck up quests. If you add on too many cybernetics you can go vamp and game over.

I think it took me a couple months but I finally beat it. Then I uninstalled and never looked at it again.
 

Brother None

inXile Entertainment
Developer
Joined
Jul 11, 2004
Messages
5,673
The "you've given us Tacket" angle is...kind of weak. But hey, punching out Vampire Lords for the win!
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076
Brother None said:
The "you've given us Tacket" angle is...kind of weak. But hey, punching out Vampire Lords for the win!

But... but... they had to lure him into their lair (where they are more powerful) and dominate him ! OK. The intro is probably the weakest part of the game when it comes to character interaction.

Also my hopes for finishing the game are renewed, I just found a large supply of blood vials, so now I don't have to bite young virgins and loose humanity. Hooray. (Although I kinda liked sucking young-virgins dry)
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076



-=[III]-YOU'RE.NEXT.STARK-[III]=-







Deidre is nowhere to be found and the place is a mess. And if Stark somehow doesn't get the message, it's written on the floor to make things crystal clear. I mean the next best way to make this messages clearer would be a bullet in the head. And we don't want that. Do we ? No.

bloodnet_001.jpg



Let's have a look around.

bloodnet_000.jpg



The fact that there is a cyberport here, means that we can connect to the net if we want. Any items that can be taken are pretty obvious, since they stand out on the screen. They say : "Hallo I'm here , take me !" and other perverted stuff like that.

bloodnet_004.jpg



We grab the INERTIA SENSORS, the DECKING UNIT CASE, the RADIATION SCREEN, the DERMAL FILAMENT, the NEURAL IMPLANT PLANS and the 4TB MEMORY CHIP. I don't have a clue what most of these are for (probably components for assembling something... a cyber-dildo probably ... or a cyber-pony-tank-torpedo... you never know.), but the plans are important and the memory chip is of immediate use. Let's check out our decking unit.

bloodnet_050.jpg



...And replace the 1TB memory chip with the 4TB one. 4TB, mister ! This is da future ! Ya. Anyway. The "Soul Box" component you see in the upper-left part is essentially the avatar that we use to enter cyberspace. The one we have is crappy, we'll need to find a better one if we want to travel to certain cyberspace areas.

bloodnet_051.jpg



So, let's see what this cyberspace is all about...

bloodnet_057.jpg



:connects:

bloodnet_058.png
bloodnet_059.png
bloodnet_060.png



This 3D was THE SHIT back then. Ok. Let's search around. WELLS are like hubs or sites. FATS is our mozilla. In order to get to a well we need its address.

bloodnet_065.jpg



Our trusty implant informs us that staying more than 10 minutes will result to serious brain damage, aka gameover. aka get a fucking life. The net is vast and limitless, but not for Stark. And definitely not for us.

bloodnet_068.jpg



Hmm, we find a data angel. They're something like hackers. Everyone that enters cyberspace uses an avatar according to his Soul Box. This guy is better than us. He's oldschool/hardcore. It's like he's been in the codex from 1985 and we're just some noobs that just registered and post about how much we like Valkyria Chronicles. N000bZ.


It seems he wants to talk.

bloodnet_1038.jpg


BN_Stark.jpg
Yeah, well, if you don't mind I'll wait to meet him before I start getting intimidated.

BN_red_avatar.jpg
Well, you have reason to be, believe me. He's done damage here that's unprecedented. He's actually into damaging angels in here, pulverizing their decking integrity. I'd stay out of his way if I were you.


I'm sure we'll bump onto this Zeus guy sooner or later. For now, let's check out the FATS system. Thankfully it's nothing like the VATS system. hurdur.

bloodnet_076.jpg
bloodnet_078.jpg


Damn, the codex is too high-tech for our low cyberskills... We'll need to find a good decker if we want to enter Deidre's Well, "Hope". Let's exit. And if you're wondering how you do that, well, you have to use the ingenious menu that can be accessed by clicking on the upper-most portion of the screen. I call it the "Phantom" menu.

bloodnet_067.jpg



Now we're out, why don't we check our micro-computer ? Stark always has this nifty gadget with him. With this he can watch his daily porn, check his contacts, his money and replay previous dialogs. Useful thingie. It's like an eeePC, but better.

bloodnet_017.jpg



Let's check out our money... aha! It seems they're still using virtual dollars. Yeah, last time I played virtual monopoly I earned like 100000000 virtual dollars. That's,like, a shitload of virtual dollars. I just hope that 130483 is a good sum in the year 2094, and not , you know, just enough for a burger, a coke and a bj.

bloodnet_040.jpg



Now let's check our contacts... There's a lot of stuff in here. It will help us as we proceed. We have some info about Deidre. Whooo, she's a naughty girl, isn't she ?

bloodnet_022.jpg
bloodnet_036.jpg



We also have info about friends, ex-lovers, money lenders, and other upstanding members of society.

bloodnet_025.jpg
bloodnet_024.jpg



Most of the people mentioned here can be recruited in your party... Another note of interest is Stark's old gang, the Flux Riders. Maybe we should look them up sometime.

bloodnet_020.jpg



There is more stuff in here, but that's enough for now. I'm wondering how Ransom is doing. Press "1" for the elusive character/inventory menu.

bloodnet_044.jpg



Our Humanity and Bloodlust meters are good, for the time being. Let's see our inventory. We have a Kevlar vest, a laser pistol and a Sawed-off shotgun. Naturally I'll equip the shotgun. If you equip the laser gun you're a faggot, just so you know.

bloodnet_049.jpg



Ok, we're all set. Let's head out to the dark and gritty city.

bloodnet_079.jpg



Manhattan 2094, here we come.

map.jpg




 

wjw

Augur
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
287
Truly interested in your Lp's as always!

ninja edit/ Fresh updates! Tasty.
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,140
ghostdog said:



What the...Are you a codexer and yet you have an innocence score (how does it work btw, does it change the dialogues' options)????


And you lack of faith is disturbing :lol:


Continue it, please.


PS: And lasers>>>> lead.t
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,076
Innocence determines how much humanity you loose when you feed on other humans. the more you have, the more humanity you loose, so it's good we're not that innocent. Innocence will decrease if we use narcotics/drugs, so it's bound to be decreased somewhat in the future.

Faith on the other hand determines how good we are at using holy relics against other vampires, so I guess we'll rely more on our firepower, than crosses.
 

relootz

Scholar
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
4,478
Good LP.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR
 

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