Some odd questions.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:51 am

I'm considering of going through Bloodlines again. Just a bit scared of the Hotel quest.

1. Anyway, I'm considering a Malkavian. I've heard they're dialogue is weird. Does this mean they get an extra line with a Malkavian response, or is all the dialogue weird and hard to follow?

2. Is there a website with pictures of each clan wearing each armour? I'd really want to have an idea how my character will look later on. Google searching didn't yield many usable results.

3. Which of the unofficial fixes/patchs do you suggest? I love extra content and fixes, but don't like it when modders change the way the game works.

4. Do you have general character-build tips? I intend to go for a diplomatic gunwielder. Not yet decided if I intend to incorporate sneaking.

Thanks in advance!

MalaksBane · Post by **MalaksBane** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:43 pm

1) No extra lines, their lines in the dialogues are adapted to their Clan and - due to this - some NPC-parts of dialogues have changed too. It can sometimes be hard to get the right response but it's so much more fun.
2) I don't know, the concept art may give some clues here and there
3) Afaik the mods do change the mechanics
4) Sneaking is rarely needed and when, your Malk has Obfuscate, which is much better. Use the books and free training points wisely. Guns aren't good until the end (9~10 ranged) and munition is expensive, so you'll be well served with good brawl/melee to get you trough the fights until then. But 1-shot-kill sniper shots are good fun. Disciplines are important, Obfuscate and L3 dementation serve the Malkavian well. The Blunt Fangs history yields considerable amounts of extra XP, and it makes the brawls with kine a bit harder.

The Ocean House quest was brilliant, not a single fight and still had me on my toes, and gave me goosebumps regularly. It also managed to strongly remind me of The Shining, despite all the differences. Best game level ever made.

Wesp5 · Post by **Wesp5** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 5:13 am

GawainBS wrote: 3. Which of the unofficial fixes/patchs do you suggest? I love extra content and fixes, but don't like it when modders change the way the game works.

If you don't want any gameplay changes, choose the default basic version of the Unofficial Patch which already restores a lot scenic extra content. After that you could always replay with the plus version, which restores stuff affecting the gameplay, like new disciplines, weapons or quests, but still stays true to like the game works. No fundamental changes like the Camarilla Edition or The Final Nights.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:07 am

Wesp5 wrote:If you don't want any gameplay changes, choose the default basic version of the Unofficial Patch which already restores a lot scenic extra content. After that you could always replay with the plus version, which restores stuff affecting the gameplay, like new disciplines, weapons or quests, but still stays true to like the game works. No fundamental changes like the Camarilla Edition or The Final Nights.

Thanks, Plus sounds like what I'm looking for.

Further:

1. Malkavian lines are still recognisable, right? I mean, no problem if they're loony, or strange, but I don't want conversation being reduced to a guessing game.
2. Damn, let's hope my vampire doesn't look too silly later on then. :-s
3. Thanks to Whesp for answering that one.
4. Blunt Fangs seems like a good advantage indeed. From what I recall, Blood isn't so hard to come by anyway. I take it Auspex isn't worth it then?
Also, the other option I was considering was Toreador, since they get Celerity and Auspex as well.

Sir Twist · Post by **Sir Twist** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:37 am

I've played most of the clans in V:TMB, my favorites are, in no particular order, Malkavian, Brujah, tremere, and Gangrel. I've played with the others, and will, eventually. I just have ones I prefer, first, especially when Wesp puts out a new patch.

Gawain, Auspex is a good idea when you want to find out more about those around you. It is useful in some places. You will be able to see through walls, etc. what someone is, eventually. And it is useful in a very certain place. I won't spoil it for you right now, but it's almost the end of the game then.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:02 am

Thanks. How far should I develop Disciplines? Are they worth maxing?

Shizz · Post by **Shizz** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:27 am

Depends on the disciplines. Obfuscate - personally I don't usually develop it above lvl3. Auspex is very useful for a gunslinger, as it raises your perception - although I'm not sure whether it can raise perception above 5. Dementation makes for a very nice addition to your arsenal, especially for a gunner - well worth raising to lvl4, lvl5 can be a lot of fun.
Also: Don't underestimate ranged combat. Sure, the .38 you get at the start is laughable... but as soon as you get your hands on a shotgun (and that's pretty early into the game), you'll be able to kick copious amounts of ass.

And yes, Toreador is probably the best clan for ranged builds, but Malks are just way too much fun not to play through with a Malk at least once. Their lines are... interesting. Personally, I had my first play-through as a Malk and had no problems following dialogues.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 1:22 pm

Thanks, your comments put me at ease. Now, to get this thing to work on Win7. (And not **** my pants in the Hotel.

)

MalaksBane · Post by **MalaksBane** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:03 am

I had, surprisingly, no problems installing and running on Win7 32 bit. Better yet, ALT-TAB switching will work and Win7 pulls a neat trick with directories so I can more easily play it as non-admin user.

Celerity is great, my first was a toreador who managed to go ono-on-one in melee with a certain end-boss. Celerity should be gold with ranged weapons, but I only recently 'discovered' them.

Darth Gavinius · Post by **Darth Gavinius** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:24 am

Here is my take on Malkavians

1) Once you can cut through the poetry of the Malkavian speech, you realize that their dialigue is full of clues and plot points, because in their madness is precognition. For this reason it is best to save Malkavians for a second or third playthrough.

2) I'm not sure about the pictures, but like everything else about Malkavians, their armor is insane - Especially Heavy Armor for a male. The female armors are all pretty slutty based on the cheerleader mechanic, but the male armors are bat****.

3) I've played Malkavians with just the official patches installed with no problems, and perhaps with the first few unofficial ones as well. Been a long time come to think of it.

4) Diplomacy is definately not the Malkavian strongpoint. I would say Melee is the best plan - but you cannot play Malkavian without maxing out Dementation - it can make some fights hilarious. Since Malkavians are less strong than Gangrels and Brujah, stealth is often a good idea - and obfuscate helps a lot.

Hmmm, I miss my bushhook wielding Malkavian maniac.:laugh:

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:03 am

I'm running Win7 64 bits, so cross your fingers...

I'd really like to go for ranged weapons as much as possible, since most RPGs already force enough melee upon you. I will use Melee & Unarmed as a pretty well-develeped "back up", though.
I was thumbing through the manual (Yes, I got the original boxed edition) and it mentioned Malkavians had trouble with negotiating. Is this referring to the strange lines?
I first have to finish Jade Empire again, before I tackle Bloodlines, so I got some time to decide on Malkavian or Toreador. I already played Bloodlines twice (about halfway through), so maybe the extra hints & insight are welcome.

MalaksBane · Post by **MalaksBane** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:50 am

Their diplomatic skills in game are just as good as that of other clans (perhaps better with dementation mixed into it), it's just that it's sometimes difficult to figure out what they'd be actually saying when you choose a line for your Malk, and what effect it will have. It will help 'picking the right lines' tremendously if you've played the game at least once with a regular clan before playing with a Malk.

Some dialogues can take a very different path though, at one point I think I almost got Jack to incinerate my Malk. I have never been able to repeat that dialogue though, unfortunately.

Until Ranged gets good towards the end of the game it helps to invest some in melee and brawl, it's pretty cheap anyway as you do get points in them with books and a couple of lessons from Nines. Other then that, don't spread your points across various diplomatic skills, seduction is fun but not necessary, persuasion is your main skill here. Keep your book reading skill up to date with the books you find, though it may not be worthwhile to max it. But you can't really go wrong unless you spread your points really wide.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:26 am

I intended to focus on Persuasion, with some Seduction, maybe one or two points in Unarmed & Melee ( + any books and lessons), and Ranged. Then Lockpicking & Scholarship, maybe Hacking. Further, Disciplines: focus on Dementation and a few levels Obfuscate, maybe towards the end Auspex if I got the XP.

Lines are colourcoded, right, if you use skills? Main reason I'd go for Malkavian right away, is that I know I won't be replaying it afterwards anytime soon.

MalaksBane · Post by **MalaksBane** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:02 pm

Yes, they are colourcoded, but some important and/or interesting dialogues are reached by regular conversation lines. If you pay attention you'll figure it out and if you don't try to aim for 'most effective' you have more freedom to roleplay as you see fit.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:32 pm

Thanks. There's always "Save/Reload" in emergencies.

I posted this in the Unofficial Patch thread too:
How come I can only select Clan-specific histories, and not "general" histories?

Sir Twist · Post by **Sir Twist** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:17 am

Save/reload is a great idea. You should use the quick save for that, with an actual save as a back up. I'd say that with everything. I play a ton of RPG's, and saves are key. Back to the point, Malk's tend to not just be precog's, but also may even have a touch of clairvoyance, and more. And I do believe that they are actually masters of their minds, rather than victims of the process. Oh, and keep a pen and paper handy, to write things down for a Malk's conversation. I do believe there maybe a place online that has possible translation of the Malk conversations, but I don't remember. Anyway, it sounds like you have a good idea. As for ranged weapons, look at your skill, the range of the weapon, the damage, etc. The best piece of advice for now is brawl and melee with obfuscate can be your friends in combat early on. Keep your scholarship up, and you should do alright.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:48 am

I've been looking at the detailed description of the Disciplines, and I don't think Obfuscate above level 2 or 3 is worth it. I don't care for stealthkills, I'd just use it to make sneaking a bit more forgiving. Does lvl 3 allow you to move freely, and lvl 2 still needs you to crouch?

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:24 pm

Are there in-game movies? Or are all the cutscenes done by the engine? I ask this because I only get a black screen during the three intro-movies (logo's probably). If these also happen during the game, I'll have to hunt down a solution...

Darth Gavinius · Post by **Darth Gavinius** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:58 pm

The cutscenes are done by the engine. Was **** hot at the time, was one of the first games released using the Source engine (same week as Half-Life 2.)

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:59 pm

Thank you, now I'm at ease.