Впечатления от vampire: the masquerade

Weaknesses

• Animal Blood: Animal blood weakens a vampire’s strength and may affect even more so, a cannibalistic Augustine Vampire.
• Broken Neck: Breaking an Augustine Vampire’s neck will result in unconsciousness of said Augustine Vampire.
• The Cure: If an Augustine Vampire takes the cure, they will revert back to being mortal again. Once taken, the cure prevents them from being immortal again, causing the body to reject vampire blood.
• Decapitation: Dismembering or manually removing the head of an Augustine Vampire will result in an instant and permanent death.
• Desiccation: Augustine vampires who abstain from blood for extended amounts of time will eventually desiccate into mummification.
• Fire: Augustine vampires are highly flammable and sensitive to fire, and will quickly burn and die from it if the flames are not extinguished in time.
• Heart Extraction: Removing the heart of an Augustine vampire will result in permanent death.
• Invitation: Augustine vampires cannot enter a home without an invitation by the owner.
• Magic: Augustine vampires are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the Gilbert Device, Papa Tunde’s Blade, The Cursed Stake and Dark Objects. A Siphoner can also siphon the magic from a vampire.
• Physical Trauma: Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause an Augustine vampire pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. It seems physical trauma can hurt them anywhere on the body (ex-eye gauging, drowning).
• Poison: There various poisons invented by people, such as Dr. Wes Maxfield and Aya, that are capable of incapacitating or desiccating a vampire when administered. Klaus also used a poison to kill Tim that not even vampire blood could cure. It is unknown what effect any of these poisons would do if ingested by an Augustine Vampire.
• Ripper Antidote: Augustine vampires can be cured and reverted back to regular vampires with an antidote invented by Dr. Wes Maxfield. The antidote is also able to cure the effects of a werewolf bite by unknown means.
• Sunlight: Sunlight and U.V. rays burn Augustine Vampires on contact, and prolonged exposure will cause them to combust and die. However, this weakness can be mitigated by the use of a lapis lazuli stone enchanted with a specific protection spell by a witch for a particular vampire, which is usually affixed to jewelry, though it requires the vampire to wear the stone at all times.
• Vampire Bloodline: If an Original vampire dies, all vampires descended from their bloodline will slowly perish. Members of Klaus’s bloodline were delinked from him; thus they no longer did if he dies.
• Vervain: Exposure to or ingestion of vervain causes an Augustine vampire to become severely feverish and weak. Also, If an Augustine vampire’s skin is exposed to vervain, it can result in burning them. Augustine vampires cannot compel anyone who has ingested vervain or has it on their person.
• Werewolf Venom: The venom of a werewolf is extremely lethal to Augustine vampire. It will cause them to hallucinate, grow severely weak, and go rabid until it kills them although, Klaus’ hybrid blood can cure the bite. Lucien Castle has invented an advanced strain of venom with no known cure deriving from the seven strains of werewolf venom which have been infused in his bite as an Upgraded Original Vampire, otherwise known as a Beast that is even fatal to Original vampires. A vampire will die in a manner similar to that of a werewolf or hybrid bite, only much faster and more painfully. It is so potent that not even the blood of Klaus or Hope Mikaelson can cure it.

Jesse after he is staked by Elena.

• Wood: Wounding an Augustine vampire with a wooden weapon will cause the vampire to become severely weak. Stabbing a vampire through the heart with a wooden stake will result in permanent death. Elena was able to kill Jesse by driving a sharp piece of wood into his heart.
• White Oak Ash Daggers: If an Augustine vampire daggers an Original vampire, they will die while the Original is neutralized.

Side quests

Santa Monica

• The Regent’s Riddle – Find Maximillian Strauss, the Tremere regent.
• Carnival of Death – Find out more about the serial killer and take care of him.
• The Pain of Being Mercurio – Mercurio is in need of some serious painkillers.
• Drug Trip – Get Trip some drugs. (Unofficial Patch Plus only)
• Trick or Treatment – A girl is dying in the Santa Monica clinic.
• Daydream Believer – «Help» one of the thin bloods with his vampirism.
• Thinned Blood – Find Lily for E.
• Replanting a Lily – Find for Vandal Cleaver replacement of Lily.
• The Hunted Hunter – Destroy the «Asian Vampire» that Knox Harrington told you about.
• A Bounty for the Hunter – Find Arthur Kilpatrick’s bounty hunter, Carson.
• Jumpin’ the Bail – Arthur Kilpatrick wants you to find out what is going on with Mike Durbin.
• Bloody Mess – Retrieve the Werewolf Blood from the Santa Monica blood bank.
• Spiritual Release – Deliver the pendant from the Ocean House Hotel to Therese or Jeanette Voerman.
• Mudd Hunt – Locate Mike Durbin for Arthur Kilpatrick.
• Missing Data – Bertram Tung wants to get back his lost data CD. (Nosferatu only unless you are using Unofficial Patch)

Downtown

• Traffik – Steal a briefcase from the Asian gang for Fat Larry.
• A Plague for the Angels – Take care of the plaguebearers for Maximillian Strauss and/or Damsel.
• Fun With Pestilence – Find Paul Anderson and take care of Jezebel Locke.
• Attention Whore – Deal with the ghoul named Patty.
• More Fun With Pestilence – Find and destroy Bishop Vick.
• Necromantic – Deal with the reporter Simon Milligan for Pisha to protect the Masquerade.
• A Confession – Solve Venus Dare’s money problems with the Russians.
• And Her Name Was Venus – Solve Venus’ problem with Boris Checkov.
• Venucide – Kill Venus for Boris.
• Occultish Personality – Retrieve occult items for Pisha.
• Night at the Library – Interrupt the Sabbat ritual and kill the Lasombra for Beckett. (Unofficial Patch Plus only)
• Ash to Ashes – Rescue Ash from the hunters in the Society of Leopold. (Unofficial Patch Plus only)

Hollywood

• Hot Stripper Assassin Action! – Eliminate the vampire hunter Chastity for Velvet Velour.
• B-Rated Writer – Retrieve David Hatter’s screenplay for Velvet Velour and find out who’s his collaborator.
• Hunters Hunting – Help Ash Rivers with his vampire hunters problem.
• You Only Die Once a Night – Romero asks you to guard the cemetery while he’s absent.
• Pimpin’ for Romero – Romero needs some loving.
• A Dish Best Served Cold – LaCroix wants to see the Cavoletti Café’s bad review.
• Gargoyle Removal Service – Solve the Gargoyle problem for Isaac Abrams.
• A Tangled Web – Help Mitnick with building the Nosferatu network in Los Angeles.
• Model Citizen – Imalia tasks fledging with setting cameras in Tawni Sessions’ apartment.
• Cover Girl – Imalia wants you to find her a copy of Guy magazine.
• Poster Session – Gary Golden offers you some posters in exchange for items.

Gameplay

Bloodlines is a role-playing game with the choice between and . The player character’s ability to overcome obstacles is in many cases a mixture of player and character abilities, with character stats determining the effectiveness of actions, and player abilities determining whether or not the actions succeed. For example, the ability to move silently and avoid being detected is heavily influenced by the character’s Dexterity and Stealth ratings; however, if the player does not stay in the shadows while sneaking past enemies, the character can still be detected.

The player character increases in power dramatically during the course of the game through the expenditure of earned experience points on attributes, skills, and vampire abilities called «Disciplines». A multitude of items, weapons, and skill books can be found or purchased to make the player character even more powerful. melee and ranged weapons exist in equal numbers, although only in the later stages of the game.

How the player interacts with the game world varies depending upon which clan the player character belongs to. Differences range from different dialogue options becoming available to certain quests becoming available or unavailable. The most notable gameplay differences are experienced by those who play as Malkavian (due to their insanity, dialogue options are often , making it difficult to conduct conversations and negotiations; Malkavians also encounter numerous bizarre moments during gameplay, such as television sets and stop signs speaking to them) and Nosferatu (who, in order to avoid Masquerade violations, are prohibited from speaking to humans and who do not have access to any gameplay options involving seduction).

Unlike most , the experience needed to increase stats and skills is not awarded for killing enemies. Experience points are awarded solely for completing quests, no matter how many creatures the player eliminates in the process (though the quest objective often involves killing). This encourages the player to complete quests in creative ways and significantly increases the game’s .

The game invokes two other unique penalties and rewards for certain behaviors in the game’s non-quest (i.e. non-combat) areas. Players are penalized for exhibiting vampiric abilities in front of humans by the loss of Masquerade points, which can also be reinstated by performing actions to protect the Masquerade. If the player loses 5 Masquerade points, the game ends. Also, the player is able to gain and lose «humanity» points, which have an impact on how well the character can be controlled when his or her blood supply is low. This can potentially cause the character to go into a feeding frenzy at the wrong time which in turn can lead to Masquerade violations.

Humanity points are awarded for acts of kindness, such as finding alternatives to killing certain . They can be taken away if the player character kills a human outside a combat zone (or even sometimes within a combat zone if the human is a noncombatant), intentionally or not, or if the character commits an unethical deed such as stealing money from a charity. Unlike Masquerade points, the game does not end if the player humanity level drops to minimum (3 by default), but the player’s character is almost certain to enter frenzy when it is this low (and they are hungry, or take damage), and some dialog options may change. Experience points can be used to purchase humanity points. Having a very high or very low humanity affects some conversation options.

Графика и системные требования Bloodhunt

Выглядит королевская битва шикарно. Дело даже не в технологиях, а в работе дизайнеров — они потрудились на славу.

Местом действия Bloodhunt стала Прага. Уже на первой катке столица Чехии завораживает архитектурой и стилем. Старенькие дома, готические фонари, неоновые вывески, возвышающаяся над постройками церковь — локацией можно залюбоваться. На десятом часу игры, когда вы, казалось бы, выучите каждый закоулок, Прага всё равно продолжит впечатлять.

Дизайнеры шикарно проработали город, уделив внимание каждой мелочи. Например, на кладбище можно заглянуть в один из склепов и обнаружить там приятный дизайн с красивыми иконами

А ведь большинство геймеров даже не окажутся в этом месте.

Увы, чтобы оценить красоту, понадобится приличный PC. В минимальных системных требованиях видеокарта GTX 970, 8 Гб оперативной памяти и процессор Core i5-7400. При этом даже на мощных компьютерах с RTX 2080 на борту, FPS может периодически падать.

***

Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodhunt отлично выглядит и впечатляет проработанной Прагой. А вот геймплей получился скучным — в нём не хватает фишек, которые привнесли бы в жанр что-то новое и удивили геймеров. Пока что онлайн неплохой, но со временем Bloodhunt рискует стать очередной королевской битвой, которую постигло забвение.

А что вы думаете о королевских битвах? Они ещё нужны или с жанром пора завязывать? Пишите в комментах!

Что думаете о королевских битвах?

• Ночь, «калаши» и вампиры — на Gamescom 2021 показали ролик Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodhunt
• RTX 2060 Super и Core i7-8700K — обновленные системные требования нового экшена про вампиров Bloodhunt
• Анонсирована Bloodhunt — бесплатная королевская битва про вампиров

Интервью с вампиром

Диалоги написаны качественно. Их интересно читать и круто, что изначально ты не видишь вариантов использования всяких убеждений и прочего. Пока не прокачаешь соответствующий скилл, ты не узнаешь, какие возможные варианты тебя ждут. Диалоговая система интересная и не раскрывает всех своих фишек сразу. Как это делает, к примеру, Fallout или другие Action-RPG, где тебе показывают возможный вариант, на который тебе не хватает навыка.

Достигнув успеха в очаровании, соблазне или угрозах, вы сразу заметите новые варианты. И если вы решите прокачать какой-то из этих навыков во время прохождения, то сразу почувствуете желание узнать, а что было бы в старом, уже пройденном моменте, будь у меня навыки харизмы?.. Это отлично мотивирует пройти игру еще раз.

Некоторые диалоги изменяются в зависимости от вашего клана

Нельзя не отметить озвучку. И это не только озвучивание персонажей. Особо выделяются передачи по радио внутри игры и даже новости по телевизору. Актеры играют свои роли качественно, и это создает непередаваемую атмосферу. Но и персонажи, понятное дело, озвучены добротно. Если мы говорим с ЛаКруа – мы слышим самоуверенного, надменного персонажа. Джек (персонаж из обучения) – грубоватый, суровый, но с тенью юмора. Все это чувствуется в озвучке и применимо ко всем встречным персонажам. Серьезно, все персонажи, которых я встретил в своем первом прохождении, были озвучены качественно. А актеры совершенно точно передают их характеры. В совокупности озвучка и диалоги – огромный плюс игры.

Источники вдохновения[]

Vampire, разумеется, отдает должное давнему и бурно развивающемуся жанру. Вампирская и готская субкультура то расцветает, то увядает в глазах общественности, но неизменно жива (или — немертва) и дает жару. Нижеперечисленное оказало серьезное влияние на Vampire: The Masquerade и Мир Тьмы.

Литература

• «Дракула» Брэма Стокера
• «Интервью с вампиром», «Вампир Лестат» и «Королева Проклятых «Энн Райс
• «Потерянные души» Поппи З. Брайта
• серия «Некроскоп» Брайана Ламли
• «Голод» Уитли Страйбера
• «Я — легенда» Ричарда Мэтьюсона.
• Вампиры фигурируют в романтической поэзии Байрона, Шелли и Бодлера.
• А также наведайтесь в библиотеку и прочитайте какие-нибудь страшные старые мифы и легенды о вампирах по всему миру.

Кинематограф

Вампиры также отметились и в кино. «Дракула» Белы Лугоши и немой «Носферату» Мурнау — дедушки жанра. В список других хороших (или хотя бы занимательных) фильмов входят «Голод», «Перед темнотой», «Вамп», «Потерянные мальчики», «Салемов удел», фильмы ужаса с Кристофером Ли и аниме «Охотник на вампиров Ди»; «Дракула» Кополлы — не лучший в смысле сюжета, но роскошно поставлен. Из несерьезного могут весьма позабавить «Баффи – истребительница вампиров» и «От заката до рассвета».

Ухватить настроение Мира Тьмы помогут «Бегущий по лезвию бритвы», «Бэтмэн » Тима Бертона (лишь первый фильм), «Молчание ягнят», «На игле», «Нью Джек Сит» и большинство фильмов Хичкока.

Main quests

Santa Monica

• Wherefore Art Thou, Mercurio? – The fledgling is tasked with finding LaCroix’s agent, Mercurio.
• Surf’s Up – Retrieve the waylaid Astrolite from drug dealers in the beach house.
• Explosive Beginning – Persuade Therese Voerman to cease the feud between herself and Bertram Tung.
• The Ghost Haunts at Midnight – Retrieve an item from the Ocean House hotel for Therese.
• Slashterpiece – Destroy the paintings inside the Gallery Noir for Jeanette Voerman.
• Bad Blood – The fledgling is sent to reassure Jeanette that Therese does not mean to harm her.
• Sibling Rivalry – Jeanette and Therese, at each other’s throats, must be persuaded to stand down.

Downtown

• Elizabethan Rendezvous – The fledgling is tasked with investigating the Elizabeth Dane, and acquiring information about the Ankaran Sarcophagus.
• Calling Dr. Grout – The Malkavian primogen, Alistair Grout, has been remiss in contacting the Prince. LaCroix wants the fledgling to investigate.
• Patron of the Ancient Arts – Retrieve the Ankaran Sarcophagus from the Museum of Natural History.
• The Epic of the Ankaran Sarcophagus – The fledgling jumps through hoops while trying to recover the Ankaran Sarcophagus.

Hollywood

• Dead Ex – Recover a partial snuff film from a courier who has backed out of the deal.
• Snuff Is Enough – The other half of the snuff film is located inside Death Mask Productions’ offices.
• Going the Way of Kings – The fledgling’s first introduction to a Tzimisce.
• I Spy Barabus – Gary Golden won’t scratch the fledgling’s back until they’ve scratched his, by finding one of his Nosferatu agents, Barabus.

Chinatown

• Kikinapped – Wong Ho won’t help until the fledgling rescues his daughter, who has been abducted by the Tong.
• Original Gangster – With new clues concerning Barabus, the fledgling heads to Zhao’s Imports for help from Wong Ho’s «friend», Zhao.
• Dragon’s Tail – Inquire about Barabus in the nightclub Glaze.
• Come Into My Parlor – Time to visit the mysterious Mandarin.
• Italian Dinner – Infiltrate the Giovanni Stronghold to obtain the long-sought Ankaran Sarcophagus.

Finale

• Society for the Preservation of Professors – A rescue mission is carried out for Dr. Ingvar Johansen, the only authority on the Ankaran Sarcophagus’ origin and design.
• Hell at the Hallowbrook Hotel – The Sabbat launch an attack on Venture Tower.
• The Enemy of My Enemy – Find both Nines and a werewolf in Griffith Park’s hilltop observatory.
• Out for Blood – LaCroix has issued a Blood Hunt on the fledgling.
• Ming Must Die! – Travel to Chinatown’s Golden Temple to deal with Ming Xiao once and for all.
• Royal Flush – Travel to Downtown’s Venture Tower to deal with Sebastian LaCroix once and for all.

Персонажи[]

• Шелзза (Shelzza)
• Кайл (Kyle), дитя Шелззы.
• Малкольм (Malcolm), Гангрел, пример персонажа.
• Модиус (Modius), Тореадор, князь Гэри, Индиана.
• Аллиция (Allicia), дитя Модиуса.
• Джагглер (Juggler), Бруха, лидер Анархов в Гэри, Индиана.
• Майкл (Michael), Малкавианин, связанный узами крови к Аллиции.
• Эвелин Стефенс (Evelyn Stephens), дитя Джагглера и сестра Грегори Стефенса.
• Александр Данов (Alexander Danov), старейшина Носферату.
• Лусиан (Lucian), старейшина-Гангрел, владелец «Экспортной компании Гэри», использующейся как основной способ для путешествия через Чикаго в Атлантику.
• Салливан Дэйн (Sullivan Dane) — охотник на вампиров, бывший священник-иезуит.
• Вильям Шепард (William Shepard), спецагент ФБР.
• Грегори Стефенс (Gregory Stephens) — детектив из чикагского полицейского департамента.
• Аннабель Триабелл (Annabelle Triabell) — старейшина-Тореадор из Чикаго.

В примере игры в шестой главе используются:

Редакции VtM[]

Vampire: The Masquerade пережили четыре редакции правил.

Первая редакция

1991 год

• Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook.
• Vampire Storytellers Screen.
• Players Guide.
• Succubus Club.
• Chicago by Night.
• Blood Bond.
• Ashes to Ashes.
• Alien Hunger.
• Blood Nativity.

1992 год

• Who’s Who Among Vampires: Children of the Inquisition.
• Vampire Storytellers Handbook.
• Milwaukee by Night.
• Hunters Hunted.
• Clanbook: Brujah.
• Awakening: Diablerie Mexico.

Вторая редакция

1992 год

• Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition.
• Vampire Storytellers Screen Second Edition.
• Players Guide to the Sabbat.
• A World of Darkness: The Pronised Lands.

1993 год

• Players Guide Second Edition.
• Storytellers Handbook to the Sabbat.
• Dark Colony.
• Under a Blood Red Moon.
• Clanbook: Nosferatu.
• Clanbook: Malkavian.
• Clanbook: Gangrel.
• Chicago by Night Second Edition.
• Book of Nod.
• Bloody Hearts: Diablerie Britain.
• Berlin by Night.
• Anarch Cookbook.
• Book of the Damned.
• Dark Alliance: Vancouver.
• Chaos Factor.

1994 год

• Clanbook: Toreador.
• Dark Prince.
• New Orleans by Night.
• Clanbook: Tremere.
• Kindred Most Wanted.
• Clanbook: Ventrue.
• Los Angeles by Night.
• Elysium.
• Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand.

1995 год

• The Inquisition.
• Giovanni Chronicles I: The Last Supper.
• D.C. by Night.
• Clanbook: Tzimisce.
• Clanbook: Setites.
• Clanbook: Assamite.
• House of Secrets.
• Prince of the City.
• Masquerade of the Red Death Trilogy Vol.1: Bloodwar.
• Masquerade of the Red Death Trilogy Vol.2: Unholy Allies.

1996 год

• Prince’s Primer.
• Giovanni Chronicles II: Blood & Fire.
• Clanbook: Lasombra.
• Masquerade of the Red Death Trilogy Vol.3: The Unbeholden.
• Chicago Chronicles Volume 1.
• Book of the Kindred.
• Chicago Chronicles Volume 2.
• Chicago Chronicles Volume 3.
• Montreal by Night.

1997 год

• Ghouls: Fatal Addiction.
• Viennese Blood: Vienna by Night.
• Clanbook: Ravnos.
• Clanbook: Giovanni.
• The City, The Blood, The Death: Frankfurt by Night.
• Diablerie.
• Cities of Darkness Volume 1.
• Cities of Darkness Volume 2.
• Cities of Darkness Volume 3.

• Revelations of the Dark Mother.
• Giovanni Chronicles III: The Sun Has Set.
• A World of Darkness Second Edition.
• World of Darkness: Hong Kong.

Пересмотренная редакция

1999 год

• Giovanni Chronicles IV: Nuova Malattia.
• Time of Thin Blood.
• Transylvania Chronicles III: Ill Omens.
• Guide to the Camarilla.
• Clan Novel 1: Toreador.
• Guide to the Sabbat.
• Children of the Night.

2000 год

• Clanbook: Ventrue Revised Edition.
• Vampire Storytellers Handbook Revised Edition.
• Transylvania Chronicles IV: The Dragon Ascendant.
• Clanbook: Nosferatu Revised Edition.
• Nights of Prophecy.
• Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy.
• Clanbook: Brujah Revised Edition.
• Clanbook: Malkavian Revised Edition.
• Clan Novel 11: Brujah.
• Clanbook: Gangrel Revised Edition.
• Clan Novel 12: Tremere.
• Predator & Prey 1: Vampire.
• Clanbook: Toreador Revised Edition.
• Clan Novel 13: Nosferatu.
• Clanbook: Tremere Revised Edition.
• Clanbook: Assamite Revised Edition.

2001 год

• Clanbook: Tzimisce Revised Edition.
• Clan Novel Trilogy Tremere 1: Widow’s Walk.
• Clanbook: Followers of Set Revised Edition.
• Clanbook: Giovanni Revised Edition.
• Clanbook: Ravnos Revised Edition.
• Midnight Siege.
• Gilded Cage.
• Sins of the Blood.
• New York by Night.
• Cairo by Night.
• Clanbook: Lasombra Revised Edition.
• Clan Novel Trilogy Tremere 2: Widow’s Weeds.

2002 год

• Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion.
• Guide to the Anarchs.
• Clan Lasombra Trilogy 1: Shards.
• Clan Tremere Trilogy 3: Widow’s Might.
• Archons and Templars.
• Havens of the Damned.
• Clan Lasombra Trilogy 2: Shadows.
• Encyclopaedia Vampirica.
• Mexico City by Night.
• Clan Lasombra Trilogy 3: Sacrifices.

2003 год

• State of Grace.
• Caine’s Chosen: The Black Hand.
• Counsel of Primogen.
• Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom.
• Clan Brujah Trilogy 1: Slave Ring.
• Succubus Club: Dead Man’s Party.
• Chaining the Beast.
• Lair of the Hidden.
• Clan Novel Saga Vol. 1: The Fall of Atlanta.
• Players Guide Revised Edition.
• Clan Brujah Trilogy 2: The Overseer.
• Red Sign.
• Clan Novel Saga Vol. 2: The Eye of Gehenna.
• Ventrue Chronicle.
• Brujah Clan Novel 3: The Puppet Masters.

Paths of Storytelling: Vampire.

Редакция 20 годовщины

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary.

Брэддок 9мм (Braddock 9mm)